


Start of Ellie

by ConstellationBrotherhood



Series: The Epic Tales of Ellie Rose [1]
Category: Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Canon-Typical Violence, Choose Your Own Adventure, Fail narrator is a jackass deity, Gen, Henry getting screwed over to give Ellie a new toy, Kinda, Multiple Endings, Selectively Mute Henry Stickmin, Triple Threat Ending | TT (Henry Stickmin), more like, no beta we die like charles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:54:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 74
Words: 32,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConstellationBrotherhood/pseuds/ConstellationBrotherhood
Summary: Everyone knows about Henry and his apparent ability to turn back time ad infinitum until he finds the option the Voice deigns is the right one. That is, until one fateful day when he wakes up to find that miraculous ability gone, and himself back in front of the very bank that started it all. But just where did the Voice decide to put that ability?Cut to a woman named Ellie Rose, who suddenly finds time slowing before she attempts to rob a jewellery store in the dead of the night. A voice whispers in her head, as two options flash before her eyes:[What will you do?]A Henry Stickmin CYOA fic, starring Ellie Rose!1/2 endings obtained. Other ending will come in due time.1/??? bonus scenes obtained.
Series: The Epic Tales of Ellie Rose [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1896361
Comments: 44
Kudos: 115





	1. Instructions on how to read this CYOA fic (PLEASE READ)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello! This is a silly little side project I decided to do while waiting for my beta readers to come back with my main fic (this would make more sense on FFN, but whatever). I ain’t no Puffballunited, what with their incredible humour and chests full of references, but I hope to at least try.
> 
> Now, this is kinda like a canon divergence fic? Really, it’s more of “What can Ellie do if she had Henry’s arsenal and luck?”. Hope you guys enjoy it, so without further ado, let’s get into it.

Hello, hello everyone! Sorry this took so long, but finally, here is the first out of two endings of SoE. Before getting into the actual fic, let me explain how it works:

1) You can't read the chapters sequentially like you would with a regular fic.

2) Any chapters with choices should have embedded links, which you click on to take you to either the next choice or the next scene.

3) It is advisable if you keep going with whatever choice you have landed on instead of pressing the "Back" button to choose another choice, as I've written most scenes to play off the previous one so it might not make too much sense if you press "Back" all the time.

4) If you happen to find a choice with no link embedded, or if a choice is linked to the wrong scene **in a completed ending** , please let me know. Alternatively, let me know what you think of this in general. It's my first CYOA fic, so anything you have to say about it would make me really unbelievably happy.

5) Any chapters marked with an asterisk (*) has the potential to change the course of the story, or gain or lose a bonus scene.

* * *

**5/09/2020 Edit:** All scenes should be successfully linked to each other now. Just to add a little thing in because I suspect a lot of people would go for a "Death" route: there's a mini bonus scene to be found at the end of a "No Death" route ;)

 **15/09/20202 Edit:** As of this edit onwards, I will be uploading each scene and set of choices separately, and I will be slowly linking everything as I go. I understand if having 50+ chapters dumped into this at once is overwhelming, so I'll be trying this approach to see if it's better. Let me know if it is!

 **23/09/2020 Edit:** As of now, the titles in the first ending are not done being edited yet, so please bear with me! Real life has taken hold of me, so updates in general may be slower. Sorry for the inconvenience!

* * *

With that said, I'd like to apologise in advance for the quality of some of the scenes. This isn't a ploy to get sympathy, I genuinely think that some of it could've been done better, and the only reason I haven't gone back to edit is that I'm afraid of confusing the hell out of myself trying to change some scenes. But now that I have a better system of keeping track of scenes, the next ending should read better than this one. Of course, I'll ultimately leave the judgment up to you readers, so please, click [here to begin Ellie's adventure](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63530191).


	2. Back to The Start

“That was a lotta fun.”

The statement was barely audible over the steady whop-whop-whop of the helicopter, but it still received twin grins of agreement from both guys. Ellie continued, “You know, feel free to call us if you got anymore jobs to do. Right, Henry?”

Eyes alight, Henry gave a jerky nod and a thumbs-up. More exhilarating missions with his newfound gal friend and long-time Master of All Great Plans? Sign him  _ up _ .

“Great! The general’s gonna be real pleased about this. Hey, did you know? Apparently, they had their eyes on Ellie for a while too,” Charles chattered on, slinging one arm over the seat’s headrest as he grinned at her (“Watch the sky, Charlie!”). Turning back, he continued, “But he decided to recruit Henry first! Something about wanting his skills more... Uh, not saying that you don’t have skills, Ellie! But he, ah...”

Rolling her eyes, Ellie nudged the other, far more silent passenger with an elbow. “He tends to pull stuff out of his butt that ends up helping us?”

“Yeah, that’s it!”

His hands were a flurry as Henry signed, _“See if I ever help you again with the ‘stuff I pull out of my butt’ then.”_

A bout of good-natured laughter passed through them all; even Charles, who didn’t see what Henry had signed. But everyone was laughing, so why shouldn’t he too?

Henry laughed and laughed and laughed, his throat aching from the unfamiliar motion, but he didn’t care. Everything was smooth sailing from here on out: his life, his job, and even his social circle! And it was all thanks to the fate that brought him here...

Henry twisted around to look out of a window, staring as the wisps of clouds zipping by them. How many years ago had it been? How many years since that day he stood outside the bank? That moment where his life hit a turning point as the world slowed all around him, showing him options far beyond what he had planned initially floating before his eyes as a voice whispered.

Henry didn’t know where the Voice came from, nor why it insisted he choose an option, nor why it always  gave him tools to be able to do said option. Not to mention that it also laughed every time he failed and got a miserable injury for his troubles, which grew less insulting and more customary with more heists he pulled off. 

But that didn’t mean the Voice didn’t care. On the contrary, time always rewinded with each time he got shot, blown up, punched, and so on and so forth. The pain had been far too real with every single one of them, but was made into a distant memory as he was shoved back into the moment of choosing to try again, and  keep trying until he got the right choice.

Was it freaky when it first happened to him at the bank? Yes.

Did Henry Stickmin decide to use this to his advantage, the second it manifested?  _ Heck yes_.

People would question him if they knew about it, which was why he had never told anyone about it. Not even Ellie, not even Charles. There would be two types of people if he tried to squeal about it: the non-believers, and the ones who would demand Henry spill his secrets. But what could he tell them? ‘Some higher being decided on a whim because they thought it was funny to see him screw up’? They wouldn’t believe, and that was when the interrogation tools would start coming out.

Henry shuddered.

_‘But I don’t have to worry about that anymore,’_ he thought in self-assurance. _‘Everything’s going so well, and everybody is none the wiser to why. No more pain, no more dying. This is it.’_

An odd feeling overcame him. A sort of tranquility that spread to every part of his body as his eyelids drooped. Henry did one more glance over at his friends — Ellie was chatting about future missions with Charles — and decided that maybe a few seconds of snoozing wouldn’t hurt him. Hehad worked hard already; he deserved it.

Sagging against the wall, Henry huffed out a silent sigh.

One.

His eyelids drooped shut.

Two.

Ellie kept talking about a heist she had planned years back. Something about a jewellery store? Most of it was incomprehensible mumbo-jumbo at that point, but his mind had time to think, _‘_ _Huh, just like me and the bank.’_ before everything went dark...

[Three.]

* * *

The sensation of arid air made Henry jolt back awake. 

Where was he? Henry whipped around in panic, but no matter which way he looked, the fact that he was in a desert-like field of sand and grit instead of a jungle didn’t change in the slightest. Did Charles accidentally drop him here and forgot about him? He had to ask—

One hand went to his ear, but met with nothing. He didn’t have the earpiece. _‘Oh no, did I drop it somewhere? Better go look for it, that’s my only way to call—‘_

His thoughts died in an instant once he properly registered the building he was standing in front of, and Henry let out an audible gasp.

Sky-high brick walls that towered over him.

A dome that sat snugly on top of the building, streaks of glass panes running down it.

Voices that floated from somewhere afar.

_ ‘I’m at the bank?’ _

Heart thumping, Henry slowly glanced down, hoping to every deity out there that he didn’t have what he thought he had in his hands.

A grappling hook and a lockpick.

It couldn’t be. Henry staggered backwards, expression aghast. He was at the bank, with the same exact tools that he brought with him so many years ago, before the Voice visited and gifted him all those nifty tools—

The Voice!

This had to be another one of its games, Henry thought desperately as a faraway voice hollered. Turning, he saw two security guards running towards him, guns out with very unhappy expressions.  _ ‘There! Nothing’s wrong, this is just a Fail happening,’ _ he thought, relief washing over.

The guards were ten feet away.

_ ‘Aaaany second now.’ _

Five feet.

_ ‘Voice?’ _

Three.

_‘Voice, what’s going on?! I’m about to—‘_ “Gah!” Henry yelped aloud as he was violently tackled to the side, arms instantly cuffed behind his back by one of the guards. “Ow...”

“You have the right to remain silent!” a voice boomed above him. A pause, and the voice giggled. “I’ve always wanted to say that.”

“Yeah, yeah, now help me alert the police already, Chad. This guy was obviously about to break into the bank. And you,” a second, softer voice directed at him, “get up.”

Henry complied, head still too much in a daze to protest. This was too much, too confusing. He had somehow managed to travel back all the way to his first major heist, and now the Voice wasn’t responding to him like it usually did. The blaring sirens that invaded the horizon sealed the deal; this wasn’t a fever dream. 

No fancy gadgets, no time rewind, no snark... Just where the hell did the Voice go?

* * *

[Hee hee hee... Sorry Henry Stickmin, but your story had already come to a close. It was fun while it lasted, but it was getting pretty boring, I can tell. Whatever you do from now on will be up to you and you alone. Now, who should I visit next?]

[... Ah,  _ her _ .]

* * *

In, and out. That was the plan from the start. Thanks to her contacts, Ellie had gotten info that a particular jewellery store (“Diamond Emporium”, if she recalled correctly) was housing a very rare set of gem-encrusted necklace and bracelet. It was already slated to be sold to someone important tomorrow, so if she wanted it now, it had to be tonight.

And tonight it was, as Ellie found herself crouching behind a nearby car. Peeking around, she began to size up the building. Patrolling guards, always a hassle... But she could see a few venues of entry. Back door, front door, side windows. If she could sneak up on one of them, then maybe...

A sudden wave of nausea suddenly hit her, and Ellie muffled her cry as she crouched down even further.  ‘What the—?!’

[Choose.]

She froze. Was that... a voice in her head? Was she hallucinating?

[Choose.]

_‘Who are you? What do you want?’_ Ellie tried to project with her mind.

[Choose.]

It was useless. The same word repeated over and over again no matter how much she asked, and finally growing sick of it, Ellie peeked over the car again. Everything in her vision was dark, except for two: the back door, and a car parked in front of the store.

Her hand clenched. She didn’t know what was going on, nor what this voice was, but she couldn’t let it stop her now. She might as well roll with it for the moment. But which way was the best...?

[What will you do?]

** a) [Break In](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64510645) **

**b)[Hijack Car](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63906175) **


	3. b) Hijack Car

With the numerous guards marching up and down and sideways, there was no way she was getting in through a door, much less a back door.

But that didn’t mean something _else_ couldn’t get past the guards in her place.

That was the main motivation that drove Ellie to quickly stand up and dart between cars, inching her way to the shiny red one sitting innocently in front of Diamond Emporium. Each time she left the safety of each vehicle’s shadow, her heart rate spiked and every sense of hers grew hyper aware of each shift in the breeze, each shuffle of boots on gravelly ground. Her legs remained as tense as coiled springs, ready to sprint away the moment she heard so much as a “Hey!”, but miraculously, she found herself crouching next to the red car. Now, to actually use it...

[Good job, Ellie!]

Ellie bit down a curse as the voice suddenly intruded her mind. _‘Do you_ mind _?’_

[Hey, no need to be such a grump! I’m helping you here! Now, what’s your next plan?]

A mutter under her breath, and Ellie turned to examine the car as discreetly as possible. A few minutes later, she spoke to the voice, _‘Maybe if I can sneak into this car, through the trunk or something, then I can hotwire this boy and ram him into the front door—‘_

[Eh! Nah! Wrong! That’s the boring way!]

She aimed a glare at the empty sky. _‘Fine then. What do you want me to do?’_

[I’m glad you asked! Here.] Like before, her vision darkened like she had put on tinted sunglasses as three images manifested before her eyes. [Pick one.]

A hammer, an image of her going through a solid wall, and... an image of her lifting something? It was a little hard to tell. _‘Uh... What are all these?’_

[They’re your ticket to getting into that car! Go on, pick one!] the voice urged.

_‘Er... Alright then...’_ With much hesitation, Ellie reached out for...

**a)[Hammer](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63906250)**

**b)[Phase](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63906370)**

**c)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63906457)**


	4. H1

_'Hammer time, then,'_ Ellie thought, reaching out for the first option.

Immediately, everything resumed at a normal pace a cold, heavy weight settled in her hand. Glancing down, she saw a hammer had somehow ended up in her hand, which she experimentally weighed; it felt like a normal hammer.

This should be a quick job. One swing, slip in, hotwire, and ram this baby into the guards standing at the front entrance. Ellie stood and carefully tapped the window, swung back the hammer, and--

**CRASH!**

The car window shattered easily against the hammer's might, and shards flew every which way. Ellie felt a brief flash of surprise at the lack of security rushing for her, but it was very swiftly drowned out by the even bigger flash of pain thanks to _the dozen glass shards lodged into her face and hands—!_

"AAAAAGH!"

"Who's there?!"

[ **Fail: I'm more surprised security didn't hear it the first time.** ]

* * *

Just as abrupt the pain of being pierced by glass was, it stopped as Ellie felt every particle around her distort, stretch, rewind until--

[Here you go! You get to choose another one.]

She was back beside the car, back in her crouched position. Her first instinct was to frantically feel her face for the shards. But she was untouched. Untouched, and unharmed. The mixture of relief, fury and adrenaline following afterwards very nearly made her scream, but she barely managed to swallow it down and instead directed it in her thoughts. _'What. The hell. Was that?!'_

[You failed because you picked the wrong option! If that wasn't obvious enough.]

_'So why was it even an option?!’_

[Because it was funny! 'Sides, it's not like I'm gonna let you die stupidly. Go on, just pick another one!]

The innocently callous response made Ellie want to throw her hands up and call it quits right there and there, but something stopped her. It _was_ true that she wasn't dead now. If she kept getting rewound like this... Then maybe getting that exquisite jewellery set was within her reach after all. But she’d have to be more careful about her next choice.

Ah, right, she had to pick another option. Bracing herself, Ellie reached out for...

**a)[Phase](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63906427)**

**b)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63906502)**


	5. H2

_'Fine, if stealth won’t get me in, then maybe brute force will.’_ She reached for the hammer.

Immediately, everything resumed at a normal pace a cold, heavy weight settled in her hand. Glancing down, she saw a hammer had somehow ended up in her hand, which she experimentally weighed. It _felt_ like a normal hammer.

This should be an easier job than phasing, Ellie decided. It was with a tool as familiar to her as the blue of the sky, and one swing was all she needed to ram this baby into the guards standing at the front entrance. Ellie stood and carefully tapped the window, swung back the hammer, and--

CRASH!

The car window shattered easily against the hammer's might, and shards flew every which way. Ellie felt a brief flash of surprise at the lack of security rushing for her, but it was very swiftly drowned out by the even bigger flash of pain thanks to _the dozen glass shards lodged into her face and hands—!_

"GAH! NOT AGAIN!"

"Who's there?!"

[ **Fail: I'm more surprised security didn't hear it the first time.** ]

=0=0=0=

“Seriously?” she groaned the moment she found herself back beside the car. Her hands were already going to her face, but it was no use; no traces of glass shards remained on her person. “Seriously?!”

The voice offered nothing but a giggle, and she sighed, running a hand down her face. No point on wasting time whining; she now knew what the “correct” option was. Without thinking about it, she reached out for...

**a)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63906547)**


	6. P1

“Maybe phasing will be the appropriate choice?” Ellie muttered to herself. “Nice and quiet, won’t attract guards... Yeah, that sounds good.”

A mild tingling spread in her fingertips the moment she touched that option, which vanished just as quickly. [There! Now you can phase through solid stuff with just a thought. Go on, give it a shot!]

If it said so. Flexing her fingers, Ellie gave an experimental push with both palms splayed flat onto the surface of the car door. Nothing happened.

She pushed again. Nothing happened.

_‘C’mon, just... let... me in!’_ she thought with an inaudible grunt each time pushed. That seemed to have done the trick, as she found her upper body abruptly going through the car door like it wasn't there. _‘Okay, now when’s a good time to stop?’_

Ellie wasn’t sure. But apparently fate was, because the last thing she felt was her upper half separating from the bottom half before time ground to a stop.

[ **Fail: Aw, don’t let this phase you! Just try, try again!** ]

* * *

Just as abrupt the pain of being pierced by glass was, it stopped as Ellie felt every particle around her distort, stretch, rewind until--

[Here you go! You get to choose another one.]

She was back beside the car, back in her crouched position. Her first instinct was to frantically feel her face for the shards. But she was untouched. Untouched, and unharmed. The mixture of relief, fury and adrenaline following afterwards very nearly made her scream, but she barely managed to swallow it down and instead directed it in her thoughts. _'What. The hell. Was that?!'_

[You failed because you picked the wrong option! If that wasn't obvious enough.]

_'So why was it even an option?!’_

[Because it was funny! 'Sides, it's not like I'm gonna let you die stupidly. Go on, just pick another one!]

The innocently callous response made Ellie want to throw her hands up and call it quits right there and there, but something stopped her. It _was_ true that she wasn't dead now. If she kept getting rewound like this... Then maybe getting that exquisite jewellery set was within her reach after all. But she’d have to be more careful about her next choice.

Ah, right, she had to pick another option. Bracing herself, Ellie reached out for...

**a)[Hammer](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63906304)**

**b)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63906502)**


	7. P2

“Maybe phasing will be better for my health,” Ellie muttered to herself. “Won’t attract guards, won’t slice my face open...”

There was a mild tingling in her fingertips, which vanished quickly. [There! Now you can phase through solid stuff with just a thought. Go on, give it a shot!]

If it said so. Flexing her fingers, Ellie gave an experimental push with both palms splayed flat onto the surface of the car door. Nothing happened.

She pushed again. Nothing happened.

_‘C’mon, just... let... me in!’_ she thought with an inaudible grunt each time pushed. That seemed to have done the trick, as she found her upper body abruptly going through the car door like it wasn't there. _‘Okay, now when’s a good time to stop?’_

Ellie wasn’t sure. But apparently fate was, because the last thing she felt was her upper half separating from the bottom before time stopped.

[ **Fail: Aw, don’t let this phase you! Just try, try again!** ]

* * *

“Son of a--!” Ellie blurted out the moment she found herself back beside the car. Her hands were already going to her waist, but it was no use; no traces of an incision remained on her person. “Seriously?!”

The voice offered nothing but a giggle, and she sighed, running a hand down her face. No point on wasting time whining; she now knew what the “correct” option was. Without thinking about it, she reached out for...

**a)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63906547)**


	8. F1 (No Death)*

“I guess I’ll pick the Force,” Ellie mumbled to herself. “It can’t be that bad, right?”

Once her fingers made contact with the image, a tingling sensation first spread across them with the intensity of wildfire, then cooled into a mild sting. [There! Now you have... the Force,] the voice spoke with a tone of mystic as Ellie clenched her hand.

_‘Great. What does it... do?’_

[The Force, the Force! You know, like Star Wars?] Ellie couldn’t see the person speaking to her, but somehow, she still felt a pout behind those vexed words. [Gosh, do you live under a rock or something?]

_‘Quiet.’_ Those words rang a bell in her memories. It was vague, but the Force was basically telekinesis, right?

Her eyes lit up. So if she could unlock the car from the inside, then she could hotwire it and ram this baby right into the guards! And nobody will be the wiser, because whose first thought would be “She has the Force”?

_‘Alright, just grab and pull. Grab and pull.’_ Focusing every bit of this imaginary power onto the car lock, Ellie could feel it holding onto something. 

Good. 

Clenching her hands, she _yanked_ , and [something incredible happened.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63906634)


	9. F2

_'Force, maybe?’_ The image showed her lifting something. Maybe she was forcing the door open? Or maybe she’d get super strength, force the car to start and—

[No no no! The Force, like Star Wars! Don’t you have cable in your home?]

_‘Why do you think I’m doing this job in the first place?’_ Ellie shot back without thinking.

Wait, no, she didn’t have time to engage this... voice, no matter how annoying it was. If she ticked it off too much, she’d be running the risk of driving it away and leaving her stranded by this car. _‘Fine, doing it now.’_

[Yay!]

Ignoring the cheering in her head, she turned to the car. _‘Alright, just grab and pull. Grab and pull.’_ Focusing every bit of this imaginary power onto the car lock, Ellie could feel it holding onto something. 

Good. 

She tugged, and felt something shimmy in place. 

Good.

She _pulled_ , and with a terrible sound, sent the entire car flying overhead like a wingless plane, crashing into the front entrance and the two guards standing before it. Glass panes shattered like the silence of the night.

[ **Not good!** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63906583)


	10. F3

It said “Force”, but what was she forcing? Was she forcing the door open, forcing the car to start, forcing—

[The Force, dummy! Like Star Wars!]

—Oh. Well, she supposed the accompanying image made more sense in that regard. Ellie looked down at her hands. She’d never seen the movies before, but the Force was basically like telekinesis, right?

Oh! Her eyes lit up with realisation. If she had the Force, then maybe she could unlock the door from inside and start the car that way! Yeah, that sounded like a good plan.

_‘Alright, just grab and pull. Grab and pull.’_ Focusing every bit of this imaginary power onto the car lock, Ellie could feel it holding onto something.

Good.

She tugged a little, and felt something shimmy in place. 

Good.

She pulled, and with a terrible sound, sent the entire car flying overhead like a wingless plane, crashing into the front entrance and the two guards standing before it. Glass panes shattered like the silence of the night.

[ **Not good!** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63906583)


	11. Set 1 Interlude (Death)

“Crap!” Ellie whispered, horrified eyes never leaving the car even as it made its terrible landing on the two patrolling guards. Blaring alarms tore through the tranquility that used to occupy the silent night, bringing with it more shouts from presumably other security.

_‘Wait!’_ There was shouting, but nobody immediately rushing to the scene. Had they wandered too far? And she wasn’t being sent right back to the beginning... So this wasn’t a Fail?

This was her chance!

Her legs began moving. Slowly at first, then they picked up pace as she pumped them to their limits and beyond, until the wind blew her hair every which way in her haste. She bolted through the carpark, past the startled guards approaching the scene that were too slow to catch her, crunching through the sea of glass surrounding the unconscious bodies lying beneath a car—

_‘Just run just run just run!’_

Thank god she memorised a stolen floor plan of this place before this. It was boring work, but she had still forced herself to go over it a thousand times, like her life depended on it. If only she could have seen into the future to know how true that statement was, as she zigzagged down hallways and skidded around corners, the yawning shadows from doors she ignored beckoning towards her.

One more turn, and there! Just down a long stretch of hallway was the door she sought for— as well as a security guard. Ellie cursed under her breath, but she couldn’t stop now, for the hollering and stampeding drew closer by the second.

So she bolted. Straight towards the man.

The security guard flinched and reached for his holster, but she had a second of advantage. Time didn’t slow like the last time, but images appeared in her vision, and she reached out for...

**a)[Barrel Through](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63906877)**

**b)[Throwing Knife](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63993421)**

**c)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63994147)**

**d)[Keep Running](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63984340)**


	12. Set 1 Interlude (No Deaths)*

Ellie watched with wide, sparkling eyes as the car sailed silently towards the unsuspecting guards, not looking away even as it crushed both of them under its weight. “Holy... I did _that_?” she whispered. She glanced down at her hands; they didn’t look any different, but she could still remnants of the foreign energy buzzing in her fingertips.

Was it really going to be this easy?

[Hey! Snap out of it, you gotta go!] the voice said urgently, interrupting her train of thought. [Before they come!]

The weird voice was right. Alarms were wailing into the night sky, shouts were thrown back and forth, but nobody was rushing to the scene. _Yet_. Who knew how long she had until that changed?

Fueled by adrenaline, Ellie practically kicked up a cloud of dust as she raced through the carpark, hopped over a limp arm peeking out from under the car, and made a wide skid running down a hallway to the left. Hollers were heard, but they were left back at the entrance as Ellie ran. Left, right, right, left... The memory of those floor plans she had memorised days ago was serving her well right now. _Everything_ was serving her so well that she couldn’t help but grin. “I can’t believe it. I threw an entire car. _I threw an entire car!_ ” she whispered giddily.

But of course, the high wasn’t going to last that long. Ellie turned around one last corner, and down the final hallway was a bored-looking guard leaning against the door. Both eyed each other for several long seconds, the guard reaching down for his holster, but Ellie was faster: she began sprinting down the hallway towards him, arm reaching out as her surroundings dimmed...

**a)[Barrel Through](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63906787)**

**b)[Throwing Knife](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63993325)**

**c)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63994066)**

**d)[Keep Running](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63980452)**


	13. B1 (End of No Death)*

Ellie didn’t stop to think before running through the bottom left option. After all, that idiot guard was still fumbling with his belt holster, not even looking her way. All it would take was one shove at a wrong angle and this guy would be out for the count!

Muscles coiled up like springs, a shrill war cry rose from the depths of her throat as Ellie sprinted forward, vicious intent scribbled all over her expression. Unable to even retrieve his weapon, the guard could do nothing except shield his face in trepidation as she—!

Completely slipped and hit the ground with a dull _thwack_.

A stunned silence followed.

“Ah... J-just give me a minute, I...” She what? What exactly was going on here? Did she just screw up? A bit unexpected, but the guard was also too stunned to do anything; a prime opportunity to right her wrong!

“She’s down! Get her, boys!”

Or not.

The ensuing five-man dogpile drove her head to the ground again, cutting her breath short, but before she could even begin to struggle, a curious sensation fell upon her.

It was like everything froze. People, sound, time... Ellie tried to pull herself out from under the dogpile, but her limbs refused to obey. Ellie tried to shout, but her voice didn’t come to her. _‘Hello? Hello?! What’s going on?’_

[ **Fail: Don’t worry, they will be waxing poetry about the fall of Ellie the Great.** ]

_‘What?’_ Nothing about this made any kind of sense, and she was starting to feel a little more than out of breath from being compressed under five people for so long.

[Sorry, couldn’t resist,] the voice giggled. [As for what’s going on: you picked the wrong choice, and you got a fail because of that, if you didn’t notice.]

_‘I picked the wrong... But what about earlier, with the car?’_ Ellie demanded. Her mind was starting to feel sluggish. God, she couldn’t even breathe; just what was that voice?

[You got lucky.]

Ellie frowned.

[But don’t worry! It’s not the end of the world, I’ll just send you back to choose again, and maybe this time you’ll pick the right choice?] The giggle that followed afterwards didn’t really match up with the sentiment of its words, but Ellie didn’t care. The lack of any sensations was starting to really get disconcerting. Ellie‘d be shuddering at this point if she could move. [Ready?]

_‘Y-yeah.’_

[Then back you gooooo!]

Ellie couldn’t tell whether the last “gooooo” was intentional on the voice’s part, or if it was just her “being sent back”, but it rapidly became an afterthought when her surrounding started shifting. It was fast, harsh, yet painless as everything down to the particles was torn, shifted, rewound, and her very conscious was constantly assaulted by these sensations until it wasn’t.

Ellie dropped to her feet with a grunt, her body already in the motion of running forward. The guard was back at the end of the hallway— or rather, she was back at the start. The revelation that the voice could make time rewind shocked her, to say the least, but Ellie had no time to dwell on it when the same options popped up in front of her, one blacked out:

**a)[Throwing Knife](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63993625)**

**b)[Keep Running](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63992806)**

**c)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63994669)**


	14. B1

_‘I may not have a car now, but that doesn’t mean I can’t mow him down!’_

Shoes squeaking against the waxed floor, Ellie let out a war cry as she began charging at the startled security guard. Shoulders were braced, eyes were locked onto her target, teeth were bared—

And she slipped and fell face first onto the ground.

Ah right. _Waxed_. Of course.

Guard and thief regarded each other, one surprised and one sheepish.

“...”

“...”

“... So, how has your day be—“

“She’s down! Get her boys!”

Ellie barely had time to be suffocated by the five-man dogpile before time rewound and plopped her right back at the start of the hallway.

[ **Fail: Don’t worry, they will be waxing poetry about the fall of Ellie the Great.** ]

* * *

_‘Clever. Did it take you all night to think of that one?’_ Ellie asked sardonically as she began running down the hallway, her first steps ever so unsteady to the observant eye.

A cackle. She couldn’t pay any mind to it now, Ellie decided, for she was nearing the options again, with one blacked out.

**a)[Throwing Knife](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63993625)**

**b)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63994669)**

**c)[Keep Running](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63992806)**


	15. B2

_‘Not this time!’_ Ellie lunged forward with a grunt, bolting through the bottom right option and straight towards the startled guard. _‘If I’m gonna run him down, I’m really gonna run him down!’_

The fool didn’t have time even draw his weapon; with a war cry, Ellie charged forward—

And her forehead collided with the waxed ground with a dull thwack.

A silent beat passed by them.

Ellie laughed nervously into the ground. “Uh... Ahaha... H-hang on a minute, let me just—“ She attempted to push herself up.

“She’s down! Get her, boys!”

Ellie barely had time to be suffocated by the five-man dogpile before time rewound and plopped her right back at the start of the hallway.

[ **Fail: Don’t worry, they will be waxing poetry about the fall of Ellie the Great.** ]

=0=0=0=

_‘Hardy ha ha, very funny,’_ Emily groused, her feet already moving before they even hit the ground. _‘Got anymore wise cracks?’_

The voice stayed silent, surprisingly enough. But Ellie wasn’t about to question it. Not when she was still faced with that guard. She ran forward, reaching out for...

**a)[Throwing Knife](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63993724)**

**b)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63994741)**


	16. B2

_‘I’m running him down,’_ Ellie thought with renewed determination, barreling through the option and down the hallway towards the startled guard. _‘If long range doesn’t work, then I’m making sure he goes down up close!’_

The fool didn’t have time even draw his weapon; with a war cry, Ellie charged forward—

And her forehead collided with ground with a dull thwack.

A silent beat passed by them.

Ellie laughed nervously into the waxed ground. “Uh... Ahaha... H-hang on a minute, let me just—“ She attempted to push herself up.

“She’s down! Get her boys!”

Ellie barely had time to be suffocated by the five-man dogpile before time rewound and plopped her right back at the start of the hallway.

[ **Fail: Don’t worry, they will be waxing poetry about the fall of Ellie the Great.** ]

=0=0=0=

_‘Hardy ha ha, very funny,’_ Emily groused, her feet already moving before they even hit the ground. _‘Got anymore wise cracks?’_

The voice stayed silent, surprisingly enough. But Ellie wasn’t about to question it. Not when she was still faced with that guard. She ran forward, reaching out for...

**a)[Keep Running](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63992935)**

**b)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63994741)**


	17. B3

If long range weapons weren’t going to work, then the next obvious option was to go short range. And the only short range weapon she had on her person is—

“Out of my way!” Ellie shouted, pumping a fist in the air as she charged at the security guard. Her shoes squeaked from the aggressive motion, which pushed her forward as she began her bulldoze towards him—

And her forehead collided with the waxed ground with a dull _thwack_.

A silent beat passed by them.

Ellie laughed nervously into the ground. “Uh... Ahaha... H-hang on a minute, let me just—“ She attempted to push herself up.

“She’s down! Get her boys!”

Ellie barely had time to be suffocated by the five-man dogpile before time rewound and plopped her right back at the start of the hallway.

[ **Fail: Don’t worry, they will be waxing poetry about the fall of Ellie the Great.** ]

**a)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63996898)**


	18. B3

_‘Not this time!’_ Ellie lunged forward with a grunt, bolting through the bottom right option and straight towards the startled guard. _‘If I’m gonna run him down, I’m really gonna run him down!’_

The fool didn’t have time even draw his weapon; with a war cry, Ellie charged forward—

And her forehead collided with the waxed ground with a dull _thwack_.

A silent beat passed by them.

Ellie laughed nervously into the waxed ground. “Uh... Ahaha... H-hang on a minute, let me just—“ She attempted to push herself up.

“She’s down! Get her boys!”

Ellie barely had time to be suffocated by the five-man dogpile before time rewound and plopped her right back at the start of the hallway.

[ **Fail: Don’t worry, they will be waxing poetry about the fall of Ellie the Great.** ]

**a)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63996898)**


	19. R1 (End of No Deaths)*

Ellie didn’t stop to think before running for the bottom left option. After all, that idiot guard was still fumbling with his belt holster, not even looking her way. All it would take was one shove at a wrong angle and this guy would be—

She missed.

Ellie stared back in sheer bafflement as the options faded and colour returned to her surroundings. What the hell just happened?

Well, she never got her answer before running right into the guard with a muffled “Oomph!” and flopped pathetically onto the floor. He received the hit with nary a flinch, and the fact that her head didn’t even hurt from the fall just added to the overall pathos of the situation.

Nonplussed eyes gazed from above. She couldn’t even grace it with anything witty; just stare back as the guard’s hand inched its way to his holster.

“Wait, there’s been a mist—“

A gunshot sounded, but before she could even begin to scream, a curious sensation fell upon her.

It was like everything froze. People, sound, time... even the bullet that was hovering an inch above her forehead. Ellie tried to stand, but her limbs refused to obey. Ellie tried to shout, but her voice didn’t come to her. _‘Hello? Hello?! What’s going on?’_

[ **Fail: Jeez, that guy’s built like a tank.** ]

_‘What?’_ Nothing about this made any kind of sense, and she was starting to her a little sick of staring down a bullet.

[Sorry, couldn’t resist,] the voice giggled. [As for what’s going on: you picked the wrong choice, and you got a fail because of that, if you didn’t notice.]

‘I picked the wrong... But what about earlier, with the car?’ Ellie demanded. Her mind was starting to feel sluggish. God, she couldn’t even breathe; just what was that voice?

[You got lucky.]

Ellie frowned.

[But don’t worry! It’s not the end of the world, I’ll just send you back to choose again, and maybe this time you’ll pick the right choice?] The giggle that followed afterwards didn’t really match up with the sentiment of its words, but Ellie didn’t care. The lack of any sensations was starting to really get disconcerting. Ellie‘d be shuddering at this point if she could move. [Ready?]

_‘Y-yeah.’_

[Then back you gooooo!]

Ellie couldn’t tell whether the last “gooooo” was intentional on the voice’s part, or if it was just an echo from her “being sent back”, but it rapidly became an afterthought when her surrounding started shifting. It was fast, harsh, yet painless as everything down to the particles was torn, shifted, rewound, and her very conscious was constantly assaulted by these sensations until it wasn’t.

Ellie dropped to her feet with a grunt, her body already in the motion of running forward. The guard was back at the end of the hallway— or rather, she was back at the start. The revelation that the voice could make time rewind shocked her, to say the least, but Ellie had no time to dwell on it when the same options popped up in front of her, one blacked out:

**a)[Throwing Knife](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63993472)**

**b)[Barrel Through](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63978274)**

**c)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63994669)**


	20. R1 (Death)

Nothing.

Her hand closed in on empty air. The options, which she had missed by a mere inch, faded into nothingness as Ellie stared back in disbelief. “Wait, what’s that supposed to mean—"

She never got her answer from the voice, or maybe she just never heard it, because she ran right into the guard with a muffled “Oomph!” and flopped pathetically onto the floor. He received the hit with nary a flinch, and the fact that her head didn’t even hurt from the fall just added to the overall pathos of the situation.

Nonplussed eyes gazed from above. She graced it with the most charming smile she could manage while lying flat on her back.

“So, how have you be—"

_BANG._

[ **Fail: Jeez, that guy’s built like a tank.** ]

* * *

Time had come to a standstill. Mouth dry, Ellie eyed the bullet frozen in midair, its trajectory aimed directly for her forehead. If the voice hadn’t intervened, then she would’ve...

[Exactly! You’re welcome!]

“No! No, I don’t want any of your welcomes!” Ellie blurted out, voice shaking. “What happened back there? Why didn’t you rewind time when I missed?”

[‘Cause not doing anything’s an option too, dumb-dumb!] the voice chided, like it was obvious. Ellie felt an eye twitch. [C’mon, are you ready to go back or what?]

_‘... Fine.’_ She sighed. Think of the positives. At least she didn’t have to suffer a bullet through the head. _‘Send me back.’_

And just like that, she was back on her feet running, her knees like wobbly jelly. The options appeared again, and she reached out for...

**a)[Throwing Knife](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63993472)**

**b)[Barrel Through](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63978274)**

**c)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63994669)**


	21. R2 (After T1)

Nothing. Her hand had swiped up, but barely missed the last option by an inch as Ellie completely ran past it.

“What?” The thief stared back as her surroundings were restored to its original colours. “Wait, what’s that supposed to mean—"

She never got her answer from the voice, or maybe she just never heard it, because she ran right into the guard with a muffled “Oomph!” and flopped pathetically onto the floor. He received the hit with nary a flinch, and the fact that her head didn’t even hurt from the fall just added to the overall pathos of the situation.

Nonplussed eyes gazed from above. She graced it with the most charming smile she could manage while lying flat on her back.

“So, how have you be—“

_BANG._

[ **Fail: Jeez, that guy’s built like a tank.** ]

* * *

Time had come to a standstill. Mouth dry, Ellie eyed the bullet frozen in midair, its trajectory aimed directly for her forehead. If the voice hadn’t intervened, then she would’ve...

[Exactly! You’re welcome!]

“No! No, I don’t want any of your welcomes!” Ellie blurted out, voice shaking. “What happened back there? Why didn’t you rewind time when I missed?”

[‘Cause not doing anything’s an option too, dumb-dumb!] the voice chided, like it was obvious. Ellie felt an eye twitch. [C’mon, are you ready to go back or what?]

_‘... Fine.’_ She sighed. Think of the positives. At least she didn’t have to suffer a bullet through the head. _‘Send me back.’_

And just like that, she was back on her feet running, her knees like wobbly jelly. The options appeared again, and she reached out for...

**a)[Barrel Through](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63978580)**

**b)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63994741)**


	22. R2 (After B1)

Her hand swiped up, but barely missed by an inch as Ellie completely ran past the options.

“What?” The thief stared back as her surroundings were restored to its original colours. “Wait, what’s that supposed to mean—“

She never got her answer from the voice, or maybe she just never heard it, because she ran right into the guard with a muffled “Oomph!” and flopped pathetically onto the floor. He received the hit with nary a flinch, and the fact that her head didn’t even hurt from the fall just added to the overall pathos of the situation.

Nonplussed eyes gazed from above. She graced it with the most charming smile she could manage while lying flat on her back.

“So, how have you be—“

_BANG._

[ **Fail: Jeez, that guy’s built like a tank.** ]

* * *

Time had come to a standstill. Mouth dry, Ellie eyed the bullet frozen in midair, its trajectory aimed directly for her forehead. If the voice hadn’t intervened, then she would’ve...

[Exactly! You’re welcome!]

“No! No, I don’t want any of your welcomes!” Ellie blurted out, voice shaking. “What happened back there? Why didn’t you rewind time when I missed?”

[‘Cause not doing anything’s an option too, dumb-dumb!] the voice chided, like it was obvious. Ellie felt an eye twitch. [C’mon, are you ready to go back or what?]

_‘... Fine.’_ She sighed. Think of the positives. At least she didn’t have to suffer a bullet through the head. _‘Send me back.’_

And just like that, she was back on her feet running, her knees like wobbly jelly. The options appeared again, and she reached out for...

**a)[Throwing Knife](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63993814)**

**b)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63994741)**


	23. R3 (After B2)

Nothing. Her hand had swiped up, but barely missed the last option by an inch as Ellie completely ran past it.

“What?” The thief stared back as her surroundings were restored to its original colours. “Wait, what’s that supposed to mean—"

She never got her answer from the voice, or maybe she just never heard it, because she ran right into the guard with a muffled “Oomph!” and flopped pathetically onto the floor. He received the hit with nary a flinch, and the fact that her head didn’t even hurt from the fall just added to the overall pathos of the situation.

Nonplussed eyes gazed from above. She graced it with the most charming smile she could manage while lying flat on her back.

“So, how have you be—"

_BANG._

[ **Fail: Jeez, that guy’s built like a tank.** ]

* * *

Time had come to a standstill. Mouth dry, Ellie eyed the bullet frozen in midair, its trajectory aimed directly for her forehead. If the voice hadn’t intervened, then she would’ve...

[Exactly! You’re welcome!]

“No! No, I don’t want any of your welcomes!” Ellie blurted out, voice shaking. “What happened back there? Why didn’t you rewind time when I missed?”

[‘Cause not doing anything’s an option too, dumb-dumb!] the voice chided, like it was obvious. Ellie felt an eye twitch. [C’mon, are you ready to go back or what?]

_‘... Fine.’_ She sighed. Think of the positives. At least she didn’t have to suffer a bullet through the head. _‘Send me back.’_

And just like that, she was back on her feet running, her knees like wobbly jelly. The options appeared again, and she reached out for...

**a)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63996955)**


	24. R3 (After T2)

Nothing. Her hand had swiped up, but barely missed the last option by an inch as Ellie completely ran past it.

“What?” The thief stared back as her surroundings were restored to its original colours. “Wait, what’s that supposed to mean—"

She never got her answer from the voice, or maybe she just never heard it, because she ran right into the guard with a muffled “Oomph!” and flopped pathetically onto the floor. He received the hit with nary a flinch, and the fact that her head didn’t even hurt from the fall just added to the overall pathos of the situation.

Nonplussed eyes gazed from above. She graced it with the most charming smile she could manage while lying flat on her back.

“So, how have you be—"

_BANG._

[ **Fail: Jeez, that guy’s built like a tank.** ]

* * *

Time had come to a standstill. Mouth dry, Ellie eyed the bullet frozen in midair, its trajectory aimed directly for her forehead. If the voice hadn’t intervened, then she would’ve...

[Exactly! You’re welcome!]

“No! No, I don’t want any of your welcomes!” Ellie blurted out, voice shaking. “What happened back there? Why didn’t you rewind time when I missed?”

[‘Cause not doing anything’s an option too, dumb-dumb!] the voice chided, like it was obvious. Ellie felt an eye twitch. [C’mon, are you ready to go back or what?]

_‘... Fine._ ’ She sighed. Think of the positives. At least she didn’t have to suffer a bullet through the head. _‘Send me back.’_

And just like that, she was back on her feet running, her knees like wobbly jelly. The options appeared again, and she reached out for...

**a)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63996955)**


	25. T1 (End of No Death)

Ellie didn’t stop to think before running through the top left option. After all, that idiot guard was still fumbling with his belt holster, not even looking her way. All it would take was one knife through the throat and he was finished! Sure, she did feel a little bad, but the guard was standing in the way of her prize. That was reason enough to finish him!

A knife (or dagger. It looked more like a dagger) the length of her palm materialised in her hand handle-first, and Ellie gripped it tightly. She was only three feet away from him, it was now or never!

“Take _this_!” Ellie screamed at the top of her lungs, the knife leaving her hand in a blur of silver. The guard screamed himself, the gun in his hands but unable to do anything with it as the knife—!

Sailed past his head?

What.

Her eyes flicked between the knife, which was lodged in the wall, and the guard, who rapidly lost his deer-in-headlights expression.

“...”

“...”

Ellie lunged. “Gimmethatba—!”

_BANG._

A gunshot had sounded, but she couldn’t even begin to scream before a curious sensation fell upon her.

It was like everything froze. People, sound, time... even the bullet that was hovering an inch above her forehead. Ellie tried to move, but her limbs refused to obey. Ellie tried to shout, but her voice didn’t come to her. _‘Hello? Hello?! What’s going on?’_

[ **Fail: No depth perception, I tell ya.** ]

_‘What?’_ Nothing about this made any kind of sense, and she was starting to her a little sick of staring at a bullet.

[Sorry, couldn’t resist,] the voice giggled. [As for what’s going on: you picked the wrong choice, and you got a fail because of that, if you didn’t notice.]

_‘I picked the wrong... But what about earlier, with the car?’_ Ellie demanded. Her mind was starting to feel sluggish. God, she couldn’t even breathe; just what was that voice?

[You got lucky.]

Ellie frowned.

[But don’t worry! It’s not the end of the world, I’ll just send you back to choose again, and maybe this time you’ll pick the right choice?] The giggle that followed afterwards didn’t really match up with the sentiment of its words, but Ellie didn’t care. The lack of any sensations was starting to really get disconcerting. Ellie‘d be shuddering at this point if she could move. [Ready?]

_‘Y-yeah.’_

[Then back you gooooo!]

Ellie couldn’t tell whether the last “gooooo” was intentional on the voice’s part, or if it was just an echo from her “being sent back”, but it rapidly became an afterthought when her surrounding started shifting. It was fast, harsh, yet painless as everything down to the particles was torn, shifted, rewound, and her very conscious was constantly assaulted by these sensations until it wasn’t.

Ellie dropped to her feet with a grunt, her body already in the motion of running forward. The guard was back at the end of the hallway— or rather, she was back at the start. The revelation that the voice could make time rewind shocked her, to say the least, but Ellie had no time to dwell on it when the same options popped up in front of her, one blacked out:

**a)[Keep Running](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63992692)**

**b)[Barrel Through](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63978340)**

**c)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63994669)**


	26. T1

_‘Gimme that knife!’_ She snatched the image out of the air, the real deal materialising in her hand in a split second. Hefting it into a better grip, Ellie drew her arm back and threw it with all her might. She couldn’t see anything going wrong with this— fighting fire with fire meant fighting long range weapon with _another_ long range weapon, right?

The knife flew, the security guard gave a startled cry as he raised his arms, but it was too later to dodge the knife that was—!

... Sailing past his head?

Uh-oh.

“Ehehe... Uh.” Ellie cleared her throat as the guard’s eyes lost their frightened glaze. “I... didn’t mean for that to happen?”

_BANG._

[ **Fail: No depth perception, I tell ya.** ]

=0=0=0=

Ellie muttered angrily under her breath as her feet hit the ground again, her knees wobbling ever so slightly from the force of the gunshot. The security guard was so close and yet she somehow missed; the only thing holding her back from trying it again was the memory of a excruciating pain embedded in her chest.

Pushing it out of her mind for now, she forced herself to rush forward for...

**a)[Barrel Through](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63978340)**

**b)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63994669)**

**c)[Keep Running](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63992692)**


	27. T2 (After R1)

_‘Gimme that!’_ she thought, snatching the closest option out of thin air. A throwing knife — well, really, it looked more like a dagger — materialised in her hand. Its weight felt large for such a tiny thing.

The idea of putting it through someone’s head would’ve made her ill, but this same guard put a bullet in her without a moment’s hesitation. She didn’t feel too bad about what she was going to do.

A guttural cry emerged from the depths of her throat as she threw the knife with all her might. The security guard gave a startled cry as he raised his arms, but it was too later to dodge the knife that was—!

... Sailing past his head?

Uh-oh.

“Ehehe... Uh.” Ellie cleared her throat as the guard’s eyes lost their frightened glaze. “I... didn’t mean for that to happen?”

_BANG._

[ **Fail: No depth perception, I tell ya.** ]

* * *

If she ever got out alive with the jewellery, then the first thing she was going to do was find a knife throwing expert. Or a gun. A gun might be more useful.

Her feet hit the ground, and Ellie nearly toppled over from her legs shaking so much. The blooming sensation of a bullet in her chest still pulsed fiercely, even though there was no visible wound, but she still pushed through it as she reached out for...

**a)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63994741)**

**b)[Barrel Through](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63978505)**


	28. T2 (After B1)

_‘Gimme that!’_ she thought, snatching the closest option out of thin air. A throwing knife — well, really, it looked more like a dagger — materialised in her hand. Its weight felt large for such a tiny thing.

The idea of putting it through someone’s head would’ve made her ill, but this same guard watched her get squashed by his comrades. She didn’t feel too bad about what she was going to do.

A guttural cry emerged from the depths of her throat as she threw the knife with all her might. The security guard gave a startled cry as he raised his arms, but it was too later to dodge the knife that was—!

... Sailing past his head?

Uh-oh.

“Ehehe... Uh.” Ellie cleared her throat as the guard’s eyes lost their frightened glaze. “I... didn’t mean for that to happen?”

_BANG._

[ **Fail: No depth perception, I tell ya.** ]

* * *

If she ever got out alive with the jewellery, then the first thing she was going to do was find a knife throwing expert. Or a gun. A gun might be more useful.

Her feet hit the ground, and Ellie nearly toppled over from her legs shaking so much. The blooming sensation of a bullet in her chest still pulsed fiercely, even though there was no visible wound, but she still pushed through it as she reached out for...

**a)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63994741)**

**b)[Keep Running ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63993037)**


	29. T3 (After B2)

_‘Gimme that!’_ she thought, snatching the first thing she saw out of thin air. A throwing knife — well, really, it looked more like a dagger — materialised in her hand. Its weight felt large for such a tiny thing.

The idea of putting this thing through someone’s head would’ve made her ill, but the very same guard had watched her getting squished by his own comrades not a minute ago. She didn’t feel too bad about what she was going to do.

A guttural cry emerged from the depths of her throat as she threw the knife with all her might. The security guard gave a startled cry as he raised his arms, but it was too later to dodge the knife that was—!

... Sailing past his head?

Uh-oh.

“Ehehe... Uh.” Ellie cleared her throat as the guard’s eyes lost their frightened glaze. “I-I can explain?”

_BANG._

[ **Fail: No depth perception, I tell ya.** ]

**a)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63978505)**


	30. T3 (After R2)

_‘Gimme that!’_ she thought, snatching the first thing she saw out of thin air. A throwing knife — well, really, it looked more like a dagger — materialised in her hand. Its weight felt large for such a tiny thing.

The idea of putting this thing through someone’s head would’ve made her ill, but the very same guard had put a bullet in her not a minute ago. She didn’t feel too bad about what she was going to do.

A guttural cry emerged from the depths of her throat as she threw the knife with all her might. The security guard gave a startled cry as he raised his arms, but it was too later to dodge the knife that was—!

... Sailing past his head?

Uh-oh.

“Ehehe... Uh.” Ellie cleared her throat as the guard’s eyes lost their frightened glaze. “I... didn’t mean for that to happen?”

_BANG._

[ **Fail: No depth perception, I tell ya.** ]

**a)[Force](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63996898)**


	31. F1 (No Deaths)

Ellie didn’t even hesitate. Running through the “Force” option, absolute power buzzed in her arms as she raised them. “Get out of my way!” she shouted, a mix of adrenaline and glee fueling the authority behind her voice.

Of course the security guard didn’t listen, drawing his gun, but that didn’t matter as it was instantly flung out of his hand by an invisible force. He stared dumbly at his empty hand for a split second, which was a second of opportunity for Ellie to punch him straight in the nose. A moment passed, and the guard collapsed like a sack of potatoes.

“Hell yeah!” she hissed, reaching out to try the door. Much to her pleasant surprise, it was unlocked and readily opened. “Huh. Looks like they weren’t expecting anyone?”

Well, all the better for her. Nudging the guard’s body out of her way, Ellie entered the room and closed the door behind her, locking it for good measure. She could hear the hollers getting closer; going by her thieving intuition, Ellie estimated about a minute more before the whole party crashed her operation.

“Where is it...?” she murmured, glancing around before something shiny caught her eye. “Bingo.”

[ **There it was. The jewellery set known as the “Arctic Crest”.** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63997234)


	32. F1 (Death)

If Force worked last time, it should work this time too, right? She hoped so. She didn’t want to accidentally rip out her own spine as a “fail”.

One hand outstretched, Ellie made a clenching motion and yanked it wildly to the side when she felt the Force grab onto something, sending the gun flying out of its holster. The guard stared dumbly at the flying weapon, not so much as giving Ellie a single glance before she planted a fist straight into the side of his face and sent _him_ flying into the door. A soft _thud_ , and he slumped over, unconscious.

_‘... Is it that easy?’_ She nudged his head with a foot. It lolled to the side limply. _‘Oh my god, it is that easy.’_

Just to make sure, she reached out and jiggled the door knob, and the door swung open readily. Ellie stared open-mouthed, until the sound of shouting and stomping feet snapped her out of it. Nearly tripping over the guard in her haste to go into the room, she kicked him out of the way and slammed the door behind her, locking it for good measure.

Ellie took a second to catch her breath. Her eyes scanned the room, mentally ticking off each unimportant display case until they physically came to a halt at the one smack dab in the middle of the room. There it was.

[ **The jewellery set known as the “Arctic Crest”.** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63997111)


	33. F2 (After R1, B1, T1)

_‘C’mon, gimme the Force!’_

The guard didn’t stand a chance against the invisible foe lifting him off his feet, nor did he have the time to draw his weapon before getting flung clear through the door. The sound of splintering wood momentarily overpowered the ever bearing hollers behind her, allowing Ellie to see the prize beyond, lying under a layer of shattered glass.

[ **The jewellery set known as the “Arctic Crest”.** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63997111)


	34. F3 (After T2, B2, R2)

“I should’ve known, it worked last time...” Ellie muttered tiredly as her feet hit the ground once again. She held up her hands, summoning the same energy she felt back at the car.

The guard didn’t have a chance to draw his gun before a invisible force lifted him clear off his feet and shoved him against the door like a battering ram. The sound of splintering wood was music to her ears, and the miniature dust cloud that got kicked up eventually cleared enough to reveal the security guard collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

But that wasn’t what Ellie was interested in. No— In the room was the prize she sought for, lying under a layer of crumbled glass that must’ve broke when she used the Force.

[ **The jewellery set known as the “Arctic Crest”.** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63997111)


	35. F4 (After T3, B3)

“Oh, shut up!” Ellie snapped as her feet hit the ground once again. She held up her hands, summoning the same energy she felt back at the car. “I should’ve known, it worked last time...”

The guard didn’t have a chance to draw his gun before a invisible force lifted him clear off his feet and shoved him against the door like a battering ram. The sound of splintering wood was music to her ears, and the miniature dust cloud that got kicked up eventually cleared enough to reveal the security guard collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

But that wasn’t what Ellie was interested in. No— In the room was the prize she sought for, lying under a layer of crumbled glass that must’ve broke when she used the Force.

[ **The jewellery set known as the “Arctic Crest”.** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63997111)


	36. F4 (After R3)

‘You’re not getting away from me this time!’

Ellie lunged, her hand closing around the last option. Her arms buzzed with familiar power, and with a yell of equal parts frustration and triumph, she heaved both arms out and sent a powerful psychic wave at the guard, pushing him through the door like a battering ram. The sound of splintering wood was music to her ears, and the miniature dust cloud that got kicked up eventually cleared enough to reveal the security guard collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

Maybe that was a little too much Force, but Ellie didn’t care.

No— In the room was the prize she sought for, lying under a layer of crumbled glass that must’ve broke when she used the Force.

[ **The jewellery set known as the “Arctic Crest”.** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63997111)


	37. Set 2 Interlude (Death)

Just like the name implied, the gems imbedded in it was as icy cold as the Arctic ice, and were arranged to resemble rising and falling waves that battered again said ice with frequency. Or so she heard. All she saw was dollar signs in those gems.

The alarms that assaulted her ears before now were nothing more than distant background noise in light of this revelation. Heart racing, Ellie stepped over the guard and towards the display case, not daring to tear her eyes away in case it disappeared. She wouldn’t doubt that happening for even a second with that voice around. Gingerly brushing away the shattered glass until the only this shimmering was its gold chains, Ellie brought the Arctic Crest out of its obliterated casing.

She did it.

It took ages, but she did it!

“There she is!” 

Oh, oops. It had slipped from her mind for a moment that she was still in the middle of a heist. Thank god for that one idiot who opened his mouth, though. With practised ease, Ellie slipped the stolen jewellery into a pouch hooked around her waist, hopped up an intact display and began unscrewing a vent panel with a screwdriver she had in her pocket (the one thing the voice didn’t have to give her). It clattered to the ground, and all the guards saw of the thief was her boots as she hastily clambered into the vent.

_‘Hope I’m going the right way...’_ Absolutely none of this was according to her original plan, but screw it. She got the Arctic Crest, and that was good enough for her.

After several minutes of uncomfortably cramped crawling, a faint breeze alerted her to a grated entrance. The dim lighting meant Ellie couldn’t see the screws, and she couldn’t afford to waste anymore time, so she resorted to the age old method of kicking the crap out of it until it gave.

One, two, three kicks, and she was out! Ellie wriggled out of the open vent, landing neatly on a covered dumpster. Glancing around, she could tell that all of the guards were still inside the emporium. Good. But that didn’t mean she was out of the woods just yet.

A quick scan around the carpark showed her a motorcycle and a police car sitting by their lonesome. Ellie hesitated in thought. Which should she go for?

**a)[Police Car](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63998002)**

**b)[Motorcycle](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63997618)**


	38. Set 2 Interlude (No Death)

Ellie didn’t wait; striding up to the display case, she brought her elbow down on it hard, cracks instantly crawling on the surface like a spider web. What harm was there to it? It wasn’t like she was going to trip another alarm on top of the one shredding her eardrums right now.

A few more hits, and she broke through at the cost of a sore elbow. But that pain was rendered insignificant when Ellie fished the jewellery set out. Just like the name implied, the gems imbedded in it was as icy cold as the Arctic ice, and were arranged to resemble rising and falling waves that battered again said ice with frequency. Or so she heard. All she saw was dollar signs in those gems.

She slipped it into her pocket, where they belonged. A breath of laughter left her lips. “I can’t believe it. I... I actually did it!”

[Yeah... I can’t believe it too...]

The misery in the voice's voice went ignored in her giddy excitement. “That was so much faster than if I had done it myself—"

“Hey, open up!”

Ellie jolted at the command. The door rattled dangerously as someone pounded on it, which she took as her cue to make her exit. Hopping up an intact display, she began unscrewing a vent panel with a screwdriver she had in her pocket. It clattered to the ground, and by the time the guards managed to break into the room, only the tips of her boots were visible as they vanished into the vent.

Those guards really had a set of lungs on them, Ellie thought with a smirk, as she heard their orders and questions alike bouncing along the walls of the vents she crawled through. It was mildly irritating, yes, but it was far from enough to dampen her mood. Why? _Because she got the Arctic Crest in no time flat._

Could her day get any better?

Apparently it could, for she soon managed to find the end of the tunnel, so to speak. But she couldn’t see the screws for this one... Eh, no biggie. Maneuvering around, her feet bashed against the vent cover once, twice, until it came loose and clattered to the ground. “Hah! If I can throw cars around like rag dolls, this is a piece of cake,” she snickered to herself, crawling out and landing neatly on her feet.

Looking around, she didn't see anyone out in the carpark. They were probably still occupied with the situation indoors. Well, too bad for them! She was about to make her clean getaway! But how?

She squinted at the dim lighting of the street lamps. There was a motorcycle — always a cliche in action flicks — and a police car. “Hm... Both look quick, but I can only get on one, right?” Ellie murmured.

[Yeah! Hey, you look like a motorcycle gal. Why don’t you give that a spin?] the voice asked.

_‘I don’t know about that...’_

[You won’t know until you try!] the voice insisted, almost forcefully. [C’mon, think about it?]

Ellie raised an eyebrow. This was the first time she’d heard it emote anything other than snark or childish glee. The motorcycle _did_ look good, but she somehow had a bad feeling about it...

**a)[Police Car](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63997840)**

**b)[Motorcycle](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63997516)**


	39. M1 (End of No Death) [Done]

[But nothing! Pleeeaaase, Ellie?]

The corner of her lip twitched involuntarily at that. That was the first time she could recall the voice ever saying her name; was that a sign of desperation she was hearing? _‘Alright, alright, fine,’_ Ellie relented, garnering a cheer from the voice. _‘What’s the worst that can happen, anyway?’_

Treading as lightly as possible, Ellie darted towards the motorcycle and knelt beside it, cracking her knuckles. “Alright, now let’s get...”

Her hands stilled.

How _was_ she supposed to hotwire a vehicle?

She clicked her tongue, brows furrowed slightly. She had never ever tampered with a vehicle like this before. The closest she’d gotten to it was when she had kicked someone out of their truck and driven off before he could recover, but she doubted it was the same thing. But then again, it wasn’t like anything had gone wrong so far, so maybe the knowledge would just come to her? _‘Let’s hope so...’_

With renewed vigour, she grabbed onto a panel.

_Five minutes later..._

“This panel has to be it, right? ... No, not this one! Argh, maybe it’s this one instead...”

_Ten minutes later..._

_‘Is this wire supposed to be with— Ow! Nope, it’s not supposed to be crossed with that wire. Ouch.’_

_Twenty minutes later..._

“There!” she huffed, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. The hum of the engine brought a smile to her face. “Took just a few minutes, but I can finally get away!”

“Ahem.”

Her head snapped up. A ring of gun barrels stared down at her, with six cops on the other end giving her gazes of equal intensity. “Huh? W-wait, wh—“

[ **Fail: Quick and easy, huh?** ]

All of a sudden, everything seemed to freeze as though a universal pause button was hit. No more trees rustled, the engine stopped running, and the cops didn’t blink.

Wait, _she_ couldn’t move as well! No matter how much she tried to run, scream, or even move her mouth, nothing happened. And yet, she was still conscious...

[Jeez, finally! I thought you were never gonna get something wrong!] The voice was laughing like this was some normal, everyday occurrence.

_‘Hey, what’s going on?!’_ Ellie yelped, cutting off its laughter. _‘What did you do?’_

[Me? _I_ wasn’t the dummy who wasted twenty minutes trying to rewire a bike while running away from the cops,] the voice snickered. [But to answer your question, you failed! So you gotta go back and pick the right option.]

_‘I... failed? Failed what? I wasn’t aware I was taking some kind of test.’_ The disconcert from the lack of anything happening was creeping through the edges of her consciousness like a shadow.

[Why did you think I gave you more than one thing to choose from?] There was definitely a verbal eye roll somewhere in that statement. [Anyways, I’m getting bored now. Going back!]

Before Ellie could stop it, everything around her began distorting. No, not just distorting— space and time were stretching, pulled inside out, reversed, and she couldn’t do anything to block out the horridly invasive sensations except to pray that it would end soon...

[Tada! All done.]

Colours and sounds crashed back into her senses with the intensity of a tsunami, and Ellie let slip a gasp. It took several minutes to register the deafening wailing in the background as the alarm, and the amalgamation of words as the hollering guards, and they were minutes that she could’ve used escaping wasted. She had to go now.

**a)[Police Car](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63998371)**


	40. M1 [Done]

After a moment’s hesitation, Ellie began running for the motorcycle. She had to be quick with it— take the appropriate wires, hotwire the bike, and ride away into victory. Quick and easy. Quick and... easy...

_‘Please let this be quick and easy,’_ Ellie prayed, before bolting out of the comfort of the shadows. The carpark was as silent as a grave, except for the shrill cry of the emporium’s alarm, which only made her tenser by the second even as she made it to the motorcycle’s side without incident. _‘Now, just to...’_

Her reaching fingers halted.

How _was_ one supposed to hotwire a vehicle?

[Oi, you doing okay down there?]

_‘Shush, I’m thinking.’_

[If you say so~]

_Five minutes later..._

“This panel has to be it, right? ... No, not this one! Argh, maybe it’s this one instead...”

_Ten minutes later..._

‘Is this wire supposed to be with— Ow! Nope, it’s not supposed to be crossed with that wire. Ouch.’

_Twenty minutes later..._

“There!” she huffed, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. The hum of the engine brought a smile to her face. “Took just a few minutes, but I can finally get away!”

“Ahem.”

Her head snapped up. A ring of gun barrels stared down at her, with six cops on the other end giving her gazes of equal intensity. “Oh. Er.. Hehe, hi?” Ellie coughed, raising a shaking hand.

[ **Fail: Quick and easy, huh?** ]

* * *

_‘Just shut and send me back,’_ Ellie snapped, furiously rubbing at the flush in her cheeks before her feet even touched the ground. The choice was now clear, although a part of her sort of wished that it could’ve been the bike...

**a)[Police Car](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63998371)**


	41. P1 (No Death) [Done]

“... Nah, I’ll go with the police car,” Ellie decided, skittering around light casted by the street lamps towards the car. She could’ve sworn the voice sighed at that.

Paying no mind to it, Ellie braced one leg against the car in preparation of yanking it open when the door swung open readily with a small click. “Oh. Oh! Oh my god, how lucky can I be?” she murmured to herself, grinning like a hyena as she slipped inside. Even better, a set of car keys were left in the ignition.

[Careful not to jinx yourself,] the voice muttered non-too-sincerely.

“Uh-huh. Now, let’s see how fast this thing can go—"

“HEY!”

Her eyes flicked up to the rear view mirror, spying a gaggle of cops practically clawing over each other to get to her. One of them was even frantically waving a finger in her direction. Well, it sucked to be them, ‘cause she was outta there! With one stamp of her foot, the accelerator was floored and the police car peeled away.

The echoes of “That’s mine!” followed after her, and Ellie couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Nothing was going according to plan — absolutely none — and she was loving it. _‘Hey! Hey, voice! Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it!’_ she projected in her elated thoughts.

[Hmf.]

_‘Well, yeesh, what’s your problem?’_ Ellie never got a reply for that, to which she simply shrugged off. She didn’t understand what had been eating at the voice all this time, but it wasn’t like she understood anything else about it. Did she really need to, though? If this voice decided to stick around and help her out indefinitely, then she was set for life! No more months of excruciating planning, missed rents and the like! She just had to show up, break in and break out. Simple!

A flash of red and blue entered her peripheral, and Ellie flicked her gaze to the side view mirror, catching sight of at least three other cop cars in hot pursuit of her. “Hah! I’ll be long gone before they can catch up,” she said, returning her gaze to the road. They weren’t worth the effort watching. “There has to be a split in the road somewhere...”

Suddenly, her entire world jolted, slamming her forehead right onto the wheel’s edge. Stars burst in her vision. “Son of a—! Who’s there?!”

Thank god she had the foresight to flip on the headlights right from the get go, or else she wouldn’t have seen the identity of her attacker: the cop that had screamed out for his car. He and another cop were on a bike, him perched on the edge of the seat ( _‘Looks unstable,’_ Ellie noted eagerly) with a gun aimed at the car. “Pull over right now, or I’ll use force!”

She bared her teeth in a wild grin. “Dunno what you’re doing there, officer, but it looks pretty illegal! I think you should get OFF!” At the last word, Ellie jerked the wheel sharply to the right and the bike had to pull back to avoid her. She was pleased to hear a faint clatter on the road.

“Damnit! Jay, you got a gun on you?!”

“Holster. Just grab it!”

A deadly game of cat and mouse ensued; Ellie being the cat in a suit of metal trying to run off two vulnerable mice. Gunshots filled the air, but none of them even came close to striking the driver’s window, and Ellie quickly retaliated with more swerving. They didn’t even have their squad as backup, the other cops having been left far behind.

Almost a minute of this passed by until Ellie caught sight of a golden opportunity: the bike banked too sharply, raising shouts of alarm from both driver and passenger. Eyes alight, Ellie turned the car without a second thought, fully intent on running them down to the ground when the headlights hit a reflective surface.

The road railing.

There was a horrible grinding sound as the car impacted the railing, and the next thing Ellie knew was a weightless sensation at the pit of her stomach as the car began dipping in a smooth curve, beginning its descent down the cliff. Her grin of exhilaration was wiped off in an instant.

Her body went on autopilot. Everything looking as though it was happening in slow motion, Ellie perched herself on the side of the seat, kicked open the door in one swift motion, and leapt out. She sailed through the air, and was en route to the face of the cliff when her surroundings darkened once again.

[Alright, chop-chop! I don’t have all night, so you better pick something before you go splat!] Ellie was taken aback upon hearing the voice’s tone more waspish than she’d ever heard it before.

“Wh-what?”

It was right. Time wasn’t slowing down for her at all, even as three different images bloomed before her. She only had a second to choose...

**a)[Magic Carpet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64018123)**

**b)[Cliff](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63998572)**

**c)[Flowers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63998953)**

**d)[Do Nothing ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64040407)**


	42. P1 (Death) [Done]

_‘The cop car? Really?’_

Everything about that choice screamed “Bad bad bad”. “It can’t be this easy... Ugh, if I fail here, it’s on my head,” she grumbled, running towards it. She reached out and rugged on the door handle, purely for the lack of any better ideas...

It opened easily, and her jaw dropped.

“— It’s open? Don’t tell me... Oh my god, someone actually left the keys in the ignition,” she gasped, sticking her head inside. Sure enough, said keys were stuck in the ignition all by their lonesome, and Ellie slipped inside, still in disbelief. “It... It can’t be this easy, can it? Not after all those fails—“

“Hey! Get out of there!”

Her eyes widened. “Don’t care, gunning it now!”

“THAT’S MINE!”

Ellie slammed the door shut immediately, flooring the accelerator and keeping a death grip on the wheel as the car sped off at the speed of sound. Teeth were gritted, heart was left somewhere between her throat and a spot two miles from where she had left the cops in the dust, and it was all she could do to breathe normally right now.

_‘Just keep driving, just keep driving, just keep driving. Like that fish from that one movie.’_

Ellie swiped her palm against a pant leg. Was it always this slick with sweat? Her hand passed over a conspicuous lump in her pocket— Oh right, the Arctic Crest. Somehow, feeling the stolen jewellery got her heart beat to slow down a little, and her grip on the steering wheel loosened slightly. After all, despite all the deaths and fails, she got it. She didn’t even know if she would’ve gotten it the normal way, but that was a thought for the past. Now, she got it.

Ellie began to relax.

Then the wailing sirens behind her shattered the false sense of serenity. Eyes flicking up to the side mirror, the twin flashing of red-and-blue lights was all she needed to see, and her shoulders tensed right back up again. “Great...”

She squinted at the road ahead. The road she had been travelling down before had been generously illuminated with street lights, but now it was like she was in Mariana Trench of roads. Not a damn thing could be seen. But it was a straight road, right? The moment she found a tunnel, she could pull some sweet tricks and lose them—

“Pull over!”

It looked like a cop with sideburns had somehow teleported beside her with how fast he showed up, gun in hand and propped up on a moving vehicle — a bike, Ellie noticed furiously. ‘Shit!’ The steering wheel creaked dangerously under her death grip as she desperately tried to swerve them out of the way.

The car swerved left and right, forcing the bike to do the same, but by some miracle, the cop managed to keep his balance. However, the constant ping-ping-ping on the car’s exterior told her that the cop’s gun couldn’t say the same thing.

One eye was on the erratic gun while the other was on the road she could barely see. “C’monc’monc’mon—"

Then she saw the gun aimed between her brows.

“ _OH NO YOU DON’T!_ ” Ellie roared, yanking the wheel to the right. She had intended to knock down the bike at the very least; but the car suddenly jerked sideways and began spinning uncontrollably, throwing her from side to side as something broke under the car’s weight, all rational thoughts becoming increasingly scrambled. Only one conclusion surfaced, and her leg react accordingly and kicked the door wide open.

And she hurled herself into open air.

Ellie blinked. Multiple things were registered at once: the car was free-falling below her, the road railing was broken through, and the pursuing squad was staring on in obvious horror. And she was falling herself...

[Don’t worry, Disembodied Voice is here to help!] As it said that, her world somehow darkened even further as more options appeared. [Take your time and pick one!]

**a)[Magic Carpet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64018099)**

**b)[Cliff](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63998686)**

**c)[Flowers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63999094)**


	43. P2 [Done]

“The cop car? Really?” Ellie asked with a dubious frown, even as she began running towards it. “How’s that the right—"

She tried the door. It opened easily, and her mouth fell upon.

“— It’s open? Don’t tell me... Oh my god, someone actually left the keys in the ignition,” she gasped, sticking her head inside. Sure enough, said keys were stuck in the ignition all by their lonesome, and Ellie wasted no time scrambling inside. “Okay, okay, okay, I’m not wasting anymore time, I’m _gunning it_ —"

“Hey! Get out of there! THAT’S MINE!”

Ellie slammed the door shut immediately, flooring the accelerator and keeping a death grip on the wheel as the car sped off at the speed of sound. Teeth were gritted, heart was left somewhere between her throat and a spot two miles from where she had left the cops in the dust, and it was all she could do to breathe normally right now.

_‘Just keep driving, just keep driving, just keep driving. Like that fish from that one movie.’_

Ellie swiped her palm against a pant leg. Was it always this slick with sweat? Her hand passed over a conspicuous lump in her pocket— Oh right, the Arctic Crest. Somehow, feeling the stolen jewellery got her heart beat to slow down a little, and her grip on the steering wheel loosened slightly. After all, despite all the deaths and fails, she got it. She didn’t even know if she would’ve gotten it the normal way, but that was a thought for the past. Now, she got it.

Ellie began to relax.

Then the wailing sirens behind her shattered the false sense of serenity. Eyes flicking up to the side mirror, the twin flashing of red-and-blue lights was all she needed to see, and her shoulders tensed right back up again. “Great...”

She squinted at the road ahead. The road she had been travelling down before had been generously illuminated with street lights, but now it was like she was in Mariana Trench of roads. Not a damn thing could be seen. But it was a straight road, right? The moment she found a tunnel, she could pull some tricks and lose them—

“Pull over!”

It looked like a cop with sideburns had somehow teleported beside her with how fast he showed up, gun in hand and propped up on a moving vehicle — a bike, Ellie noticed furiously. ‘Shit!’ The steering wheel creaked dangerously under her death grip as she desperately tried to swerve them out of the way.

The car swerved left and right, forcing the bike to do the same, but by some miracle, the cop managed to keep his balance. However, the constant ping-ping-ping on the car’s exterior told her that the cop’s gun couldn’t say the same thing.

One eye was on the erratic gun while the other was on the road she could barely see. “C’monc’monc’mon—"

Then she saw the gun aimed between her brows.

“ _OH NO YOU DON’T!_ ” Ellie roared, yanking the wheel to the right. She had intended to knock down the bike at the very least; but the car suddenly jerked sideways and began spinning uncontrollably, throwing her from side to side as something broke under the car’s weight, all rational thoughts becoming increasingly scrambled. Only one conclusion surfaced, and her leg react accordingly and kicked the door wide open.

And she hurled herself into open air.

Ellie blinked. Multiple things were registered at once: the car was free-falling below her, the road railing was broken through, and the pursuing squad was staring on in obvious horror. And she was falling herself...

[Don’t worry, Disembodied Voice is here to help!] As it said that, her world somehow darkened even further as more options appeared. [Take your time and pick one!]

**a)[Magic Carpet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64018099)**

**b)[Cliff](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63998686)**

**c)[Flowers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63999094)**


	44. C1 (End of No Death) [Done]

The answer seemed obvious. There was a cliff, and she was falling. Ergo, she should hold onto the cliff’s surface to stop falling.

[I can’t disagree with that,] the voice said, sounding very much like it was holding in laughter before the kick happened.

And by kick, Ellie meant “kick to the back that nearly made her throw up her kidney because holy crap, did a wrecking ball just hit her from behind”. It flung her into the cliff wall, causing her to bash her forehead into it _again_ as she was barely able to cling onto some rocky handholds. “Ooow... That hurt, but at least I’m safe,” she groaned.

[coughwhataboutthejewellerycough]

“What?” A jolt of fear running through her, Ellie immediately reached down to feel around in her pocket, and felt nothing. “What happened? I just had it!”

[You should’ve checked before you leapt!] the voice crowed with unabashed glee. [Oh, and before I forget!]

[ **Fail: Never leave valuables behind in vehicles.** ]

* * *

“Fail? What’s that supposed to—"

Ellie let out a startled cry as the world suddenly grounded to a halt. No more wailing sirens, no more wind, no more eye-stinging smoke wafting from the wreckage.

Wait, she couldn’t move as well! No matter how much she tried to twist, turn, or even move her mouth, nothing happened. And yet, she was still conscious...

[Yeesh, I thought I would’ve had to, like, hand you a ticking bomb to get you to fail!] The voice laughed at its own joke, as if it was something truly hilarious.

_‘Hey, what’s going on?!’_ Ellie yelped, cutting off its laughter. _‘What did you do?’_

[Me? I wasn’t the one who drove a car off a cliff like an idiot,] the voice snickered. [But to answer your question, you failed! So you gotta go back and pick the right option.]

_‘Failed?’_ Suddenly, something came back to her from the carpark, and she frowned. _‘Wait, was that why you wanted me to pick the motorcycle? Because I would’ve_ failed _?’_

[Yeah! But you were boring and didn’t didn’t take the bait, and you were so close to escaping too! I got a teeny bit impatient and gave you an extra option.] The voice sighed. [Anyways, I’m getting bored now. Going back!]

Before Ellie could stop it, everything around her began distorting. No, not just distorting— space and time were stretching, pulled inside out, reversed, and she couldn’t do anything to block out the horridly invasive sensations except to pray that it would end soon...

[Tada! All done.]

Colours and sounds crashed back into her senses with the intensity of a tsunami, and Ellie let slip a gasp as she flailed helplessly in the air. There wasn’t time to waste, or to think, she had to pick something _now_ before she fell!

**a)[Flowers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63999166)**

**b)[Magic Carpet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64018150)**


	45. C1 [Done]

_‘Cliffcliffcliffcliff!’_

The voice giggled. [Alrighty, one cliff coming right up!]

It felt like someone kicked her in the kidneys, and she suddenly took off flying towards the cliff face spread-eagled. Eyes wide as dinner plates, Ellie very nearly bounced off the surface before her hands spastically clenched and grabbed onto jutted rocks, leaving her dangling helplessly. A distant crash sounded down below.

_‘Well... Crap,’_ she thought as smoke began wafting up. Daring to glance down for a second, Ellie sized up the rocky plane below her. Jumping down was an immediate no-go, unless she wanted to be brained by the outcrops. Maybe she could just use those to climb down...? Yeah, that sounded way more reasonable. And less stupid.

Ellie was about to start scaling down the cliff when she realised something. Her right pocket felt suspiciously empty. Reaching down, she frantically patted her pants leg, confirming her thoughts: the Arctic Crest was no longer there. _‘Where did it go?!’_

... Oh. Oh no. When she was kicked into the cliff, the motion was so violent, it must have knocked the necklace and bracelet out...

[Yeeep.]

“... Welp.”

[ **Fail: Never leave valuables behind in vehicles.** ]

**a)[Flowers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63999166)**

**b)[Magic Carpet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64018150)**


	46. C2 [Done]

_‘Oh gee, really?’_

She was back in the air, and had already made up her mind. _‘Give me the cliff!’_ She didn’t want to experience that again. Anything else had to be better than becoming paste at the foot of the cliff.

The voice giggled. [Alrighty, one cliff coming right up!]

It felt like someone kicked her in the kidneys, and she suddenly took off flying towards the cliff face spread-eagled. Eyes wide as dinner plates, Ellie very nearly bounced off the surface before her hands spastically clenched and grabbed onto jutted rocks, leaving her dangling helplessly. A distant crash sounded down below.

_‘Well... Crap,’_ she thought as smoke began wafting up. Daring to glance down for a second, Ellie sized up the rocky plane below her. Jumping down was an immediate no-go, unless she wanted to be brained by the outcrops. Maybe she could just use those to climb down...? Yeah, that sounded way more reasonable. And less stupid.

Ellie was about to start scaling down the cliff when she realised something. Her right pocket felt suspiciously empty. Reaching down, she frantically patted her pants leg, confirming her thoughts: the Arctic Crest was no longer there. _‘Where did it go?!’_

... Oh. Oh no. When she was kicked into the cliff, the motion was so violent, it must have knocked the necklace and bracelet out...

[Yeeep.]

“... Welp.”

[ **Fail: Never leave valuables behind in vehicles.** ]

**a)[Magic Carpet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64018195)**


	47. F1 (End of No Death) [Done]

She blurted out an answer before she could fully think it through. “Flowers!”

[Flowers it is, then,] the voice said, sounding very much like it was holding in laughter before something bloomed under her.

Ellie had enough time to look down and think “Oh, there’s the flowers” before she began plummeting.

A seed of doubt sprouted as she reached halfway down. _‘Are you sure this is gonna work?’_

[Positive!]

_‘But these are flowers!’_ Ten feet from the ground now.

[Yeah! They’ll cushion your fall.]

_‘They’ll cushion me?’_ Five feet away now.

[Yep!]

_‘Really?’_

[Uh-huh!]

_‘O-okay then, I’m trusting you!’_ Ellie screwed her eyes shut once she was a mere two feet from the ground.

It was a lie.

[ **Fail: In this world, it’s fall or be fallen... Wait, that doesn’t sound right.** ]

* * *

Ellie let out a strangled gasp cry as the world suddenly grounded to a halt. No more wailing sirens, no more wind, no more eye-stinging smoke wafting from the wreckage.

Or at least, she tried to gasp. But her lungs weren’t responding to her commands. Nor were her legs, arms, eyes... And yet, she was still fully aware of her surroundings. Just what was going on...?

[Yeesh, I thought I would’ve had to, like, hand you a ticking bomb to get you to fail!] The voice laughed at its own joke, as if it was something truly hilarious. 

‘ _Hey, what’s going on?!’_ Ellie yelped, cutting off its laughter. _‘What did you do?’_

[Me? I wasn’t the one who drove a car off a cliff like an idiot,] the voice snickered. [But to answer your question, you failed! So you gotta go back and pick the right option.]

_‘Failed?_ ’ Suddenly, something came back to her from the carpark, and she frowned. _‘Wait, was that why you wanted me to pick the motorcycle? Because I would’ve_ failed _?’_

[Yeah! But you were boring and didn’t didn’t take the bait, and you were so close to escaping too! I got a teeny bit impatient and gave you an extra option. Not that you took it, but you still failed, so I don’t care!] The voice sighed. [Anyways, I’m getting bored now. Going back!]

Before Ellie could stop it, everything around her began distorting. No, not just distorting— space and time were stretching, pulled inside out, reversed, and she couldn’t do anything to block out the horridly invasive sensations except to pray that it would end soon...

[Tada! All done.]

Colours and sounds crashed back into her senses with the intensity of a tsunami, and Ellie let slip a gasp as she flailed helplessly in the air. There wasn’t time to waste, or to think, she had to pick something now before she fell!

**a)[Cliff](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63998782)**

**b)[Magic Carpet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64018150)**


	48. F1 [Done]

Ellie had absolutely no idea how flowers were supposed to help, but she called out for it regardless.

A bed of golden ones spontaneously sprouted below her, just a distance from the flaming wreckage. That was all that happened before gravity began dragging her down. “WAAAAAAAAAH!”

[Don’t worry, you’ll be fine!] the voice insisted.

_‘I’ll be fine?!’_ Ellie thought as she fell. _‘Are you sure?’_

[Yes, the flowers will cushion your fall!]

_‘The flowers will cushion my fall?’_

[The flowers will cushion your fall! Promise!]

The flowers did not cushion her fall.

[ **Fail: In this world, it’s fall or be fallen... Wait, that doesn’t sound right.** ]

**a)[Cliff](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63998782)**

**b)[Magic Carpet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64018150)**


	49. F2 [Done]

_‘I— Flowers?’_ She had absolutely no idea how flowers were going to help, but a bed of golden ones spontaneously sprouted below her, just a distance from the flaming wreckage. That was all that happened before gravity began dragging her down. “WAAAAAAAAAH!”

[Don’t worry, you’ll be fine!] the voice insisted.

_‘I’ll be fine?!’_ Ellie thought as she fell. _‘Are you sure?’_

[Yes, the flowers will cushion your fall!]

_‘The flowers will cushion my fall?’_

[The flowers will cushion your fall!]

The flowers did not cushion her fall.

[ **Fail: In this world, it’s fall or be fallen... Wait, that doesn’t sound right.** ]

**a)[Magic Carpet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64018252)**


	50. M1 (Death) [Done]

It was stupid. Stupid and most likely very death-inducing, but none of the other options looked good, so she was left with no other choice.

_‘Magic carpet!’_

Almost immediately, something velvety smooth caught her in mid-air, prompting a grunt from Ellie as she struggled to regain her balance (and not roll off by accident).

The moment she righted herself, she was able to see her surroundings clearly once again. In a matter of speaking. It was nothing but seas of treetops for miles, which the rug was barely hovering over the tip of, and what used to be a huge bonfire of a car was nothing more than an insignificant speck now. From somewhere far off, she could still hear the echoes of “My car!”, but that was it. No orders of chases, no screaming for her blood. She was safe.

She was free.

“Pffff...” A breath of air hissed out through her clenched teeth, head held between her trembling arms. “I actually did it... I got it...”

[Yessiree, you did!] The voice sounded very pleased with itself, for some reason. [Oh, but before we continue, I have to say something to you.]

“Hm?”

[Congratulations, Ellie Rose! You managed to get away with the Arctic Crest!]

[ **Rank: One-Woman Army** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64018561)


	51. M1 (No Deaths) [Done]

“Give me the carpet!” Ellie shouted, an arm stretched towards the sky as gravity finally began to take effect.

[Oh come _ON!_ ]

With a victorious whoop, Ellie landed on the carpet that had magically appeared under her with no incident, gripping it by the tassels to steer it away from the wreckage. It was surprisingly easy to handle, and she was soon sailing away from the scene of the crime like a ship through calm seas. “That was fun. That was actually _fun_! You know, I thought you were going to get me killed, but you really helped me out there! I owe you a big one,” she laughed, tucked her windswept hair behind an ear. She made sure to keep a hand over her pocket at the same time.

[Yeah...]

[... Yeah, you do...]

[ **Rank: One-Woman Army** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64019914)


	52. M2 (After C1, F1) [Done]

_‘Give me the carpet! Now!’_ Her thoughts came out garbled with panic, despite her best attempts to keep her cool.

[Rude much? You’re lucky I’m such a nice person.] As it said that, a rug sewn with intricate designs appeared under her feet.

Ellie braced herself, falling onto the carpet and pulling it down a few feet before it managed to right itself. As it carried her away into the darkness of the night, away from the sight of the wrecked car, she managed a _‘Yeah, I don’t believe that. What else does the world want to throw at me? Police choppers? Government tanks?’_

[Funny you should mention all that. But nothing of the sort!] The grin behind those words were palpable.

[Congratulations, Ellie Rose! You managed to get away with the Arctic Crest!]

[ **Rank: One-Woman Army** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64018561)


	53. M3 (After C2) [Done]

_‘Shut up and give me the carpet! Hurry, before I fall!’_ Ellie snapped, the tension between her shoulders so high that it felt it could snap at any time.

[Jeez, I’m not going to let you fall just like that.] Despite that, a rug sewn with intricate designs appeared under her feet.

Ellie braced herself, falling onto the carpet and pulling it down a few feet before it managed to right itself. As it carried her away into the darkness of the night, away from the sight of the wrecked car, she managed a _‘Yeah, I don’t believe that. What else does the world want to throw at me? Police choppers? Government tanks?’_

[Funny you should mention all that. But nothing!] The grin behind those words was palpable.

[Congratulations, Ellie Rose! You managed to get away with the Arctic Crest!]

[ **Rank: One-Woman Army** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64018561)


	54. M3 (After F2) [Done]

_‘You think?’_ Ellie grumbled when she found herself back in mid-air. At least she knew what the right choice was now. _‘Just give me the magic carpet thing before I fall!’_

[Ooh, so touchy. Tired of dying?] it chuckled as a rug sewn with intricate designs appeared under her feet.

Ellie braced herself, falling onto the carpet and pulling it down a few feet before it managed to right itself. As it carried her away into the darkness of the night, away from the sight of the wrecked car, she managed a _‘Yeah, kinda. Is there anything else the world wants to throw at me? Police choppers? Government tanks?’_

[Funny you should mention all that. But nope!] The grin behind those words was palpable.

[Congratulations, Ellie Rose! You managed to get away with the Arctic Crest!]

[ **Rank: One-Woman Army** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64018561)


	55. D1 [Done]

[Too late!]

Her surroundings brightened once again, just in time to give Ellie a great view of blurring rocks and trees as she plummeted to the ground. “Waitwaitwait! Give me another chance! Please!” she pleaded, clawing at the air.

[Nope! You just lost your only one, so it’s a fail!]

She didn’t listen. “Give me the carpet! The flowers! I’ll even take the cliff!” The ground was rushing for her face, and she began twisting and turning in a futile attempt to slow her fall. “C’mon, just do something!”

The voice finally deigned it a good time to shut up, leaving the only sound ringing throughout the entire forested area to be a sickening _SPLAT_ before falling into a permanent silence.

[ **Fail: Look before you leap, kids!** ]

* * *

Ellie awoke with a shriek.

No, “awoke” didn’t seem like the right word. She was conscious, but that was it: conscious. Her body couldn’t move at all, leaving her stuck staring up at the sky. There was a thick trail of smoke snaking its way upwards, and she was sure that the burning wreckage of a car was only metres away from where she laid. _‘What... happened...?’_

[You failed!] The voice sounded positively gleeful, as thought it hadn’t just witnessed a horrible incident. [About time, too! Maybe you’ll take this more seriously if I put you on the clock more often, eh?]

_‘Hey, what’s going on?!’_ Ellie yelped, cutting it off. _‘What did you do?’_

[Me? I wasn’t the one who choked and died,] the voice snickered. [But to answer your question, you failed! So you gotta go back and pick the right option.]

_‘Failed?’_ Suddenly, something came back to her from the carpark, and she frowned. _‘Wait, was that why you wanted me to pick the motorcycle? Because I would’ve_ failed _?’_

[Yeah! But you were boring and didn’t didn’t take the bait, and you were so close to escaping too! I got a teeny bit impatient and gave you an extra option. And you actually fell for it!] 

Did... did it just make a joke about her death?

[Anyways,] the voice sighed, [it was funny and all, but I’m sending you back now. You’re not exactly a pretty sight to look at.]

Before Ellie could stop it, everything around her began distorting. No, not just distorting— space and time were stretching, pulled inside out, reversed, and she couldn’t do anything to block out the horridly invasive sensations except to pray that it would end soon...

[Tada! All done.]

Colours and sounds crashed back into her senses with the intensity of a tsunami, and Ellie let slip a gasp as she flailed helplessly in the air. There wasn’t time to waste, or to think, she had to pick something _now_ before she fell!

**a)[Flowers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63999166)**

**b)[Magic Carpet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64018150)**

**c)[Cliff](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/63998782)**


	56. Epilogue (Death)

“I... I got away with the Arctic Crest.” Ellie took in a deep breath, and looked up at the big bright moon with an almost disbelieving look. “I actually got away with the Arctic Crest.”

[Uh, you mean _I_ helped _you_ get away with the Arctic Crest. You’re welcome, by the way!]

Ellie scratched the back of her head. “Er, yeah, that. I guess that it was easier to snatch up the goods with your help than without, but... Were those ‘fails’ really necessary?” she asked. Now that she was in the middle of nowhere on a flying carpet, she felt fairly safe talking to the voice in her head. “Why didn’t you just give me the right choices from the get-go? Why were there _choices_ in the first place?”

[Isn’t it obvious?] The condescension dripping off its words made her frown. [Because it was funny. What, you don’t know what that means?]

“Funny?! Nothing about that was funny!” Ellie protested. “I got shot! _Shot!_ ”

[It was too!]

“Was not!”

[Was too!]

“Was. _Not_.”

[Why are you so upset about this, anyway?] the voice shot back. [You’re fine now, aren’t you? Don’t be such a baby about stuff that never happened in the first place.]

Technically. _Technically_ never happened. Ellie rubber the spot over her shoulder, brows furrowed into a frown. On one hand, getting pushed back in time was not a fun experience in the least. Being put through a meat grinder would’ve been preferable. And that wasn’t even getting into the numerous “fails”. But on the other, the clump of jewellery that could be seen bulging in her pocket was worth more than her life! Her original plans depended on both her smarts and luck, so if she didn’t have the ability to return and try again, she could’ve been screwed hard. Broke, kicked out of her apartment, thrown into jail, all the works. The only reason she even went for it was nothing more than desperation, so if the voice hadn’t been there for her...

She didn’t know how to feel about it.

“... Hey. You never really gave an answer. Why did you give me more than one choice to choose from?” Ellie asked, shifting to sit cross-legged. She needed more time to form a more concrete opinion. “And don’t give me that dumb answer again. Nobody would waste their time helping a rando for kicks. So what do you want from me?”

[Of course a thief wouldn’t believe in kindness.] There was a pause. [Well, I suppose I can answer you, since you gave me such a fun night tonight. I wasn’t really lying earlier; I was just looking for someone fun to play with! You’re not special in that regard, though. I’ve done it with a couple others, some more entertaining, some less. Oooh, and that last guy... Wow, he was a riot! Too bad he couldn’t last.]

Ellie held up a hand, the other tapping her chin as she sorted out the information vomited at her. “... So what you’re saying is, you have fun watching me fail. That’s it.”

[Yeah! C’moooon, don’t you believe me?]

“... No, I do. It’s just a bit much to take in. But I suppose that you’ve been helpful, so... thanks,” she managed with a small smile. “Well, I suppose that we’re done here, huh?”

[Course not, Silly Ellie!]

“What?”

[I stuck with the last guy for eleven years, what makes you think you can get rid of me after one night?] the voice asked cheekily. [We’ll keep this little relationship up, yeah? You keep stealing stuff, I give you fancy powers and gadgets to steal them with, and you make me laugh. Simple! Whaddya say?]

More nights like this one? Ellie mulled over it for a bit, but it was the gentle clinking of precious jewellery that solidified her decision. “Why not? I have a feeling I’ll need more dough in the future, and having you around will make things easy on me.”

[Yay! I hope you won’t disappoint me, and I won’t disappoint you.]

“Same.”

[...]

“...”

[So, are you gonna start flying back to ground or not? Someone’s gonna see you, and I’m not helping you get out of _that_ ,] the voice said.

“Oh, right. One moment.” With a grab of the carpet’s tassels, she began drifting towards the forest below, illuminated by nothing but dim moonlight.

* * *

_A few minutes later..._

[Hm, Ellie’s already done for the night, I think. Is there anything else to do tonight?]

[...]

[Oh yeah, those cops.]

Returning to the scene of the wreckage was a breeze for the voice, and what it saw there wasn’t terribly entertaining. The police were doing their usual work taping around the scene, taking evidence, examining the area, yada yada yada. The only point of interest was the pair standing close to the edge where Girl Henry had careened off the road. One was whining.

“My car...”

“I know, I know,” the one named Jay comforted, patting his partner’s back. “Don’t worry, the department will issue you a new one soon.

“Yeah...”

“How did that thief even manage to get away with your car, Kevin?” Jay continued. He didn’t seem to notice the way the other’s shoulders hitched up.

“I... I’m not really sure. Er, maybe she broke a window and got in that way?”

“Really? I didn’t notice anything like that when we were...” Jay shook his head. “But it was really dark, so I probably just missed it.”

“Yeah! Yeah, I, uh... Oh, I think Lily needs our help over there! Let’s hurry.” Kevin barely gave the other time to respond before grabbing his shoulders and forcibly steering him away. The conversation soon devolved into yet another bunch of jargon that ate away at the voice’s interest like termite through wood, and it drifted away.

[Jeez, I swear this universe has some of the worst humans to ever exist. Maybe I should go pay an old friend a visit instead... Hm?]

There was someone standing off to the side; a woman with her black hair and a police uniform. Curious, the voice drifted closer, and managed to catch the conversation midway through.

“... gone. Yes, someone snatched it up and... It was a red-headed woman, but she died so there is no point in pursuing it, Sir Gemini. According to one officer’s report, she drove off the edge of the cliff and ended up falling with the car, so...”

The woman hesitated.

“No, there is no body discovered yet. We don’t have anyone available to properly investigate the wreckage, but once we do, I will report my findings to you.” A pause. “Yes sir. Virgo out.”

The woman who called herself Virgo tapped her watch, which flashed off. Huh. So she was talking into the watch? [Man, humans really have weird inventions.]

For a brief moment, the voice entertained the idea of travelling to the other side of that communication device to see this “Sir Gemini”. But why should it? It already got plenty of laughs from Girl Henry, and from the sounds of it, they were inevitably going to cross each other’s paths, so seeing the other party would just be spoiling itself, now would it?

[For now, I sleep. Wonder what Ellie Rose will do next...]


	57. Epilogue (No Death)

Ellie tilted her head. “Hey, you feeling okay? You don’t sound like yourself at all.”

Silence.

“Hello?”

[You were supposed to trip, okay?!] the voice suddenly yelled, causing Ellie to flinch. [You were supposed to fail, or, or, mess up somewhere! How did you manage to avoid every. Single. Wrong choice I laid out for you? I even threw an extra one in because it was getting so boring! But _nooooo_ , you had to run around that one too!]

The mini-rant left her reeling. “What? You mean, you weren’t trying to help me?” she asked slowly.

[... Yes and no,] was the sullen answer.

That answer only confused her further, but strangely enough, Ellie didn’t feel mad. She _couldn’t_ feel mad even if she wanted to, which played a big part in letting her ask calmly, “So why give me a right choice in the first place?”

[Because no letting you win is no fun either.] For all intents and purposes, the voice sounded like a sulky child right now. [It’s like cheating at a video game! It’s not fun if only I can win...]

“Uh-huh.” Tucking her windswept hair behind her ear, Ellie rolled onto her stomach and propped her elbows on the rug. She still wasn’t angry; if anything, its actions started to make sense in hindsight. “Well, I guess I still have to thank you for your help. I don’t know if I could’ve gotten it by myself without the fancy Force powers and carpet.”

[S’not fair. I was also supposed to have fun too,] the voice grumbled.

She raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know how much fun I would’ve had doing nothing while I was falling dozens of feet above the ground, but sure,” Ellie snorted. “So, does that mean you’re not helping me anymore?”

[No!] The severity of that one word startled even Ellie, who sat up straight. [I know you’re capable of making me laugh, so you’re not getting rid of me that easily. You had better start planning on your next heist, you hear me?!]

Ellie winced. Someone yelling in her head was so much worse than hearing it outside her head, and it didn’t help that she had hit her head earlier as well. “Right, I’ll... get on that soon, but first, I’m taking this baby to where no one will find it,” she said, patting her pocket. “You won’t make me _fail_ there, will you?”

[Hmph. There’s no point now, I’m way too tired.]

“You can get tired?” Ellie asked, the corner of her mouth twitching.

[‘Course I can! I have feelings too, you know!] Then before she could reply, the voice zipped away in a huff, away from the stupid Girl Henry and her stupid magic carpet. So stupid. How could she act all high and mighty because of a good stroke of luck? See if she tried to steal something again, it was going to knock her down a few pegs the hard way...

Trees flew by in a blur, until the voice arrived at the scene of the crime. Just like Boring Girl Henry, what it saw there wasn’t terribly entertaining. The police were doing their usual work taping around the scene, taking evidence, examining the area, yada yada yada. The only point of interest was the pair standing close to the edge where Girl Henry had careened off the road. One was whining.

“My car...”

“I know, I know,” the one named Jay comforted, patting his partner’s back. “Don’t worry, the department will issue you a new one soon.

“Yeah...”

“How did that thief even manage to get away with your car, Kevin?” Jay continued. He didn’t seem to notice the way the other’s shoulders hitched up.

“I... I’m not really sure. Er, maybe she broke a window and got in that way?”

“Really? I didn’t notice anything like that when we were...” Jay shook his head. “But it was really dark, so I probably just missed it.”

“Yeah! Yeah, I, uh... Oh, I think Lily needs our help over there! Let’s hurry.” Kevin barely gave the other time to respond before grabbing his shoulders and forcibly steering him away. The conversation soon devolved into yet another bunch of jargon that ate away at the voice’s interest like termite through wood, and it drifted away.

[Jeez, I swear this universe has some of the worst humans to ever exist. Maybe I should go pay an old friend a visit instead... Hm?]

There was someone standing off to the side; a woman with her black hair and a police uniform. Curious, the voice drifted closer, and managed to catch the conversation midway through.

“... gone. Yes, someone snatched it up and... It was a red-headed woman, but she died so there is no point in pursuing it, Sir Gemini. According to one officer’s report, she drove off the edge of the cliff and ended up falling with the car, so...”

The woman hesitated.

“No, there is no body discovered yet. We don’t have anyone available to properly investigate the wreckage, but once we do, I will report my findings to you.” A pause. “Yes sir. Virgo out.”

The woman who called herself Virgo tapped her watch, which flashed off. Huh. So she was talking into the watch? [Man, humans really have weird inventions.]

For a brief moment, the voice entertained the idea of travelling to the other side of that communication device to see this “Sir Gemini”. It was so tempting; Boring Girl Henry was absolutely no fun tonight, and the voice had never heard of this “Gemini” and “Virgo” before. They were constellations, right? As far as it knew, these names had never been associated with Henry’s shenanigans before...

[... Ah, what the heck? I’m going.]

It was short work to trace the other end of the call, and the voice was soon circling a warehouse near a docking bay. Drifting inside, the voice saw nothing but mountains and mountains of cargo, all labelled with various images separating them in categories. The dim lights swung slowly in the ocean breeze, casting swaying shadows that stretched and receded like the tide. For the most part, the warehouse seemed devoid of life except for two, and that was where it came face-to-face with a curious sight: two identical people.

No, wait, they were only identical at a glance. Same curly brown hair, same facial features, identical gold pins...

But that was where the similarities ended. One had his hair in a tiny ponytail, and was wearing a full tuxedo suit, while the other had his hair down and was wearing a combo of tuxedo shirt and pants. The atmospheres around them differed as well: the one in a full tux looked like he was going to explode from anxiety with the way he kept pacing and tapping away on his phone, while Tuxedo Shirt looked like he couldn’t care less. 

For several minutes, nothing significant happened unt

il Tuxedo Suit sighed under his breath and stuffed the phone back into his pocket. “Well, good news and bad news.”

“What’s up?” Tuxedo Shirt mumbled in a husky, but surprisingly female voice. She had her head resting on a cargo box, eyelids halfway closed.

“Good news, there was no body found, so it’s highly likely that whoever stole the Arctic Crest is still alive.” Tuxedo Suit raised both hands in feeble celebration.

“... Bad news?”

“... We have no idea who that person is,” Tuxedo Suit sighed, his cheerful facade gone in a flash. He held out his hands helplessly. "We know of her description, but that's barely enough to go on as it is! 'Red hair'? There are so many people who fit that description! And whoever it is also had the gall to swipe the Arctic Crest, which we were supposed to steal tomorrow. Imagine Lady Pisces’ reaction!"

Tuxedo Suit's shoulders slumped. "This was supposed to be a gift for her too..." he whispered. For a second, he looked like a child about to get a massive lecture from their parent; which considering what he had just said, it wasn't exactly far from the truth. "What am I supposed to do now?"

There was a brief moment of silence, then Tuxedo Shirt finally stood and began marching towards the warehouse door. Tuxedo Suit instantly shot out to grab her arm. "Hey, hey, whoa, whoa, whoa! Where do you think you're going?"

She didn't look back. "I'm going to find her and beat her until she gives it back to you. Simple,” she said calmly.

The voice liked the sound of that, but apparently Tuxedo Suit was a routine party pooper because he instantly began shaking his head.

"No no no, that will take too long! We’re due to set sail in a couple of weeks, we can’t waste resources like that," he hissed.

"But you don't know what to do."

Tuxedo Suit gritted his teeth. "I... I do not, but--"

"So I'll go get it back myself."

"No! We'll..." Tuxedo Suit's eyes lit up. "We can't go looking for her now. But we can have her come look for _us_."

Tuxedo Shirt squinted her eyes. "... English."

Tuxedo Suit gestured for her to lean in, and whispered, "She targeted us for a reason, right? We don't know why as of yet, but she definitely did it for _a_ reason. Why else would she do it just before our heist?”

"Uh-huh."

"So... Actually, perhaps it's a bit too risky to say it out here,” Tuxedo Suit mumbled, glancing all around them. Well, at least he had a semi-decent set of brains on his shoulders. “Come, we’re going back to the office...”

“Hm.”

Both of them left the vicinity, and the voice watched after them with a thoughtful air around its incorporeal form. [I'm gonna guess and say that that was Sir Gemini, and that was his twin. Heh, of course a member of a group called Gemini would have a twin. Should I go after them...?]

A beat.

[... Naaaah. I'll save the rest of the excitement for next time,] it cackled to itself, starting to drift back to where Girl Henry was staying (it didn't deserve to be called a home). [Won't be fun to spoil everything for myself~]

Now, how could it nudge her towards encountering this group without coming off as suspicious...


	58. a) Break in

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the very first chapter of this index before proceeding, if you haven't.

... Yeah, there was no way she was bashing her way through the front entrance. What was she, suicidal?

No, not the front. The most logical route would be through the back door, illuminated by a green “Exit” sign... and guarded by a stout man in a security officer uniform. Mumbling under her breath, Ellie took a deep breath and gave her face a few gentle slaps to psyche herself up. “Okay Ellie, you got this. It’s just one guy, get rid of him before more come.”

She went back to sizing up her obstacle. The baton hanging loosely in his hand was the first thing to stand out, but there was also something dull in his eyes. That, and the occasional stifled yawn was all she needed to know to deduce that he was tired. Something she could take advantage of.

Ducking down, Ellie snaked her way through the cover of several bushes, all the while keeping a close eye on the guard. He gave no indication that he heard anything amiss. _‘Has he never heard of coffee before?’_ she thought derisively as she stayed crouched behind the bush nearest to the door. _‘Some people really just like to suffer, huh?’_

All the better for her. Ellie began rummaging through her pockets — a lockpick and a screwdriver clinked gently — but suddenly, her vision suddenly darkened like she had put on tinted sunglasses. Only two objects were highlighted with a soft glow around them: rocks of varying sizes littered across the ground and the baton in the guard’s hands. _‘What’s all this?’_

[They’re your ticket to getting past the guard! Go on, pick one!]

Both? The voice said “pick one” though, did that mean that she only had one true way of getting past that guard? Or did both options work? More questions along the same vein flew through her mind, but she wasn’t any nearer to figuring any of them out, and the voice apparently didn’t feel like answering them because it remained silent all the while. It looked like she was really on her own with this one.

After a moment’s deliberation, Ellie hesitatingly reached out for...

**a)[Rocks](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64707928)**

**b)[Baton](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64661467)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact #1: I initially went into the first ending with a mindset of "Don't put too much effort into this". A few days later, I'm writing everything with pen and paper before transferring everything onto my laptop, clearly putting too much effort into this. How times have changed, haven't they?


	59. PT Set 1: B1 (No Death)

_‘I guess... A baton?’_

No sooner had Ellie finished the thought did the world return to normal. She scratched her head, looking around herself. “So are you going to hand one to me?” she wondered out loud.

Silence was her response. _‘I’m guessing that’s a no, then.’_ Ellie sighed, sitting back on her haunches as she thought. _‘There’s nothing lying around here, I’m pretty sure. Definitely not a perfectly good baton.’_

But then that meant the obvious conclusion was to take the guard’s baton and... and then what? Knock him out with it? That sounded hella cool in theory, but there was a reason she was sneaking around like this. She would be _toast_ if the guard decided to fight her one-on-one.

A few minutes passed before Ellie gulped. She didn’t have any choice here. Or, well, she _had_ a choice and already made it without thinking. _‘The best I can do is try and pull it off. C’mon Ellie, you got this,’_ she thought as she fell into a running position. Her fingers clutched the trampled grass under her like a lifeline. _‘One.. two... three!’_

Ellie took off like a bullet. She ran faster than any time before in her life, even faster than that one middle school race, and she was in the guard’s face in no time flat. Her suddenly appearance made his eyes shoot wide open, and a shout was on the edge of his lips, but she acted faster. Snatching the baton away in one fell swoop, she brought it down on his temple in a wide arc. The resultant _CRACK_ rang through the night.

His body was still for a second before crumpling like a sack of potatoes. Ellie glanced around, but there was no one to their fellow guard’s aid. Yeesh, talk about not getting paid enough for the job.

[You can say that again!]

_‘Quiet, you,’_ Ellie immediately reprimanded, but her face softened afterwards. _‘Um, but thanks for your help there. I wouldn’t have thought to use this bad boy,’_ She patted the baton, _‘on security myself if it weren’t for you.’_

[Of course it was because of me! You’re, like, the most booooring one out of the three, I had to—] The voice abruptly faltered into a... Was that a stammer she heard? [I-I... Never mind!]

Unfortunately, her interest was piqued, and her reluctance to let this go was higher. _‘Three of who?’_

[It’s nothing!]

_‘Go on, don’t stop now,’_ she urged, doing her best to keep a straight face. She had to admit, hearing the voice be this flustered was rather entertaining.

[Er... H-hey! You better do something about the body before the other ones show up!]

Oh, oops. Somehow she had forgotten all about the man at her feet. “Right. On it.”

It wasn’t too much trouble to drag the motionless body over to a cluster of bushes and stow it there. Hopefully the guards won’t notice him for a long while. Sneaking back to the door, Ellie ran her hand over the handle’s lock. _‘I wonder if...’_ She tried jiggling the handle, which didn’t budge. _‘Yep, thought so.’_

This shouldn’t be a difficult task by any means. After all, this exact scenario was why she brought a lockpick—

[Aren’t you forgetting someone?]

Ellie raised an eyebrow at the sky. _‘It’s just a lock. I don’t need any of your tricks right now,’_ she thought flatly.

[Aw, pleeeaaase?]

_‘No.’_

[ButIwanttoIwanttoIwanttoIwanttoIwantto—]

_‘Dude! Stop that!’_ Ellie thought in panic, gripping her head as the words flooded it like a tsunami.

[C’monc’monc’monc’monc’mon—]

“Okay! Okay, I’ll do it, just shut up now!” she finally yelled aloud, then clasped her hands over her mouth. _‘Oops.’_

[Yay! I knew you would come to your senses!] the voice cheered, ignoring the thief’s silent horror. [Here you go!]

Not giving her any time to express any kind of displeasure, time abruptly screeched into a halt as three images were dumped in front of her eyes. The idea of ignoring it in favour of ripping the voice a new one was something she entertained for a minute, but eventually decided it wasn’t worth it. She still had the jewellery to steal, and she needed to maintain her still intact mindset for it. Besides, yelling could always be done later. _‘Alright, fine,’_ Ellie thought as her eyes roamed over each option...

**a)[Bash](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/66182986)**

**b)[Teleporter](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/66513889)**

**c)[Lockpick](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/66078511)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact #3: It took me three straight days to link everything in the first ending, which nearly murdered me socially and emotionally, so that's why you're seeing tiny, but quicker updates this time! =D


	60. PT Set 1: *R1* --> B2

_‘Rocks, I guess?’_

The moment the thought crossed her mind, all colour and sense of time was restored to her world as Ellie blinked rapidly. She waited for several seconds, but nothing else was forthcoming from the voice. Did that mean she was supposed to do something by herself now?

_‘... Guess so.’_ Ellie knelt forward and scooped up a handful of pebbles as discreetly as possible. She weighed them in her hands, then peeked out at the guard again. _‘Okay Ellie, you don’t have to trade blows here. Just draw him away from the door.’_

She flicked a pebble to the east of the door. It fell to the ground with a clatter that rang through the night air like a gunshot, and Ellie tensed her leg muscles, read to bolt at a moment’s notice—

And the guard didn’t look up.

Ellie held her breath just in case, but the security guard did not so much as twitch. _‘Okay. Okay, maybe it was just too small or something. I’ll try again.’_

Hefting a slightly larger pebble, Ellie tossed it out and ducked back behind the bush. _‘Did that work?’_ she thought to herself, peeking back out.

Nope.

A soft growl of frustration escaped her lips, but Ellie still tried again. And again. And again and again and again, but none of them could grab the guard’s attention. It got to the point that a small pile of stones had built up in the middle of the parking lot, like a bizarre praying statue, but no, the guard apparently had the energy of a sloth because he heard _none_ of that. _‘Seriously?!’_

Ellie grumbled, staring at the last golf ball-sized rock in her hand. Maybe this distraction plan wasn’t going to work after all. But what else could possibly attract the guard’s attention, much less draw him away from the door? It wasn’t like he was noticing her at all... Oh. Then maybe she could sneak up on him, and knock him out with this rock? The more she thought about it, the more it made sense, and the more it ticked. Her. _Off_. Why the hell didn’t she think of that in the first place—

“Ahem.”

It wasn’t that, but the sound of a cocked gun, that drew Ellie’s gaze upwards. The icy glint of a gun barrel stared down at her, as did the no-nonsense face of a security guard with blond hair cropped close to his scalp. Ellie gulped. “Oh, h-hey. Can I h-help you, officer?”

“Did you really think nobody was going to notice that?” he immediately snapped, jerking his head at the rock pile nearby.

She gave a furtive glance at the still dozing guard. “... He didn’t,” she muttered.

Judging from the furrowed brows that followed afterwards, the blonde guard didn’t appreciate the sass.

**[Fail: You were supposed to draw the guards _away_ from you, not _to_ you.]**

* * *

Ellie had braced herself for the inevitable _BANG_ of the gun, or even the bit of cold steel wrapping around her wrists, but nothing of the sort happened.

Nothing was happening at all, in fact. Trees weren’t rustling, the guard had frozen in the act of reaching out for her, and she found even herself rooted to the ground. The world had darkened like before, but Ellie could tell it wasn’t the same situation. Just what was going on?

[Hiya! You must be confused about all this, huh?] Oh, it was the voice again. It was rather disconcerting talking to someone, or something, that wasn’t there, but Ellie did her best to manage.

_‘Yeah, I am, actually. What’s going on?’_ she asked, her thoughts wavering slightly.

[To make things simple for ya, you failed!] the voice chirped.

Ellie tried to raise an eyebrow, and realised that she couldn’t move. She settled for imagining it instead. _‘Failed_ what _, exactly?’_

[You picked the wrong thing, so you gotta start over~] it explained in a singsong manner. [So you ready to go back or what?]

_‘H-hold on, I don’t... really understand,’_ Ellie said, trying to raise her hand to ask for a pause before remembering yet again that she couldn’t. ‘ _Why give me multiple options in the first place if only one of them was going to work?’_

[Because it’s funny!]

Her brain felt like it was short-circuiting trying to process that. Ellie paused, waiting for a punchline to come forth, but it never did. Come to think of it, she didn’t really know who the person talking to her was, did she? So for all she knew, it could very well be a child talking to her, and if that was the case, she would be working with a literal child to steal a highly coveted piece of jewellery—!

[Hey, that’s rude!] it interjected in a playfully offended tone, jolting her out of her spiralling thoughts. [I’m helping you, aren’t I? So you should be grateful!]

... It’s actually right. Kind of. At least she had it to thank for for not getting her brains blown out. She nearly did, but she _didn’t_ , and that was all that mattered.

_‘Fine, fine, whatever. I’m ready to... go back now, whatever that means.’_

[Then here we goooooo!]

Apparently “going back” meant distorting, stretching, reversing the space and time around her, trapping Ellie in a conglomeration of sensation that threw all of her senses into disarray. She tried to open her mouth to demand it to stop, but no sound could leave her throat. She was stuck in time, helpless to the voice’s whims until...

[Tada!]

Everything was back to normal. She was back to being crouched behind bushes, their scraggly twigs scratching her shins. Experimentally, Ellie flexed her fingers and rolled back her shoulders, then muttered a word just in case. She could move again. Even the guard with the baton was at his spot beside the door, still nodding off. She sat back on her haunches, breathing a sigh of relief into her hands. _‘Thank god that’s over. I never want to feel that again.’_

[Ha! Too bad, you’re gonna have to feel a lot more of that if you want that pretty necklace,] the voice cackled, causing Ellie to flinch. The cackle grew. [Aw, scared of a little ol’ voice in your head? Refer to my first statement!]

She sighed again. _‘So do I just...?’_

In response, the world darkened and time slowed as a faint glow surrounded only one object.

**a)[Baton](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64853758)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact #2: The concept for this fic first came about when I was having trouble coming up with a Henry Stickmin fic that didn't look like a rip-off of other great fics in the fandom... Then I realised that I didn't have to write about Henry Stickmin himself, and here you see the gradual blooming of that idea!


	61. PT Set 1: R1 —> *B2*

_‘Seriously? The baton? How am I supposed to—?’_ The world abruptly returned to its normal state. _‘... Okay then.’_

Just to make sure her assumptions weren’t baseless, she scanned the parking lot and even the nearby greenery, but one thing was soon made clear: the only baton around was the dozing guard’s. _‘Great, how am I supposed to— Oh. Wait, I know how.’_

This guard didn’t wake to the sound of hailing stone the last time, so what were the odds of him waking up to the sound of someone stealing his own baton?

Probably high, but hopefully not _too_ high.

Ellie braced herself as she fell into a running position. She couldn’t afford to screw this up. This was the only other option, but there was also no way of knowing if this was truly the right choice, or if it was just another case of the voice screwing around with her because “it was funny”. Was this really going to work?

“Well, only one way to find out here,” Ellie mumbled, taking in a steadying breath. Then she ran.

Ten feet, five feet, three, and the guard still hadn’t woken up. Not until Ellie snatched away the baton in his hand, and by the time he jolted awake to shout for help, his own weapon of defense smacked him upside his head with a _WHAM_.

The guard dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Ellie roughly nudged his head with a foot, but he didn’t rouse. “Hah... I can’t believe that actually worked,” she breath, weighing the baton in one hand. She glanced down at the unconscious guard with a tiny smirk. “Heh, but thanks for the free weapon.”

[You’re welcome!]

Ignoring the mental intrusion, Ellie spent a few minutes dragging the body away and stowing it behind a couple of bushes. It wasn’t completely out of view, but it’d be a good while before anyone could find him anyway. Once she finished tossing a few twigs and leaves over the protruding boots, she returned to the door. _‘I wonder if it’s...’_ She tried to jiggle the door handle, but it refused to budge. _‘Yep, it’s locked.’_

Of course this was to be expected, which was why she had brought her own lockpick. Which pocket did she leave it in again...?

[Heeey! What did I say about excitement?] the voice interjected in an impossibly whiny fashion. Hearing it pulled her lips down into a grimace.

_‘Fine, fine, just don’t talk like that again. So what do you have in mind?’_ she asked impatiently.

[I’m glad you asked! See for yourself!]

Another set of images wavered into view as the world darkened, and Ellie examined each one carefully.

**a)[Bash](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/64941826)**

**b)[Teleporter](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/65476636)**

**c)[Lockpick](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/66298540)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact #4: The first ending was written entirely on my phone, which is partially why it isn’t as long as the scenes in this ending, which are written on paper before being converted into digital form.
> 
> Let me know which version you prefer by the way: the scenes in Ending 1 or the scenes in Ending 2. I’d like to roughly gauge which one the readers (meaning you guys!) would prefer seeing from the second book onwards.


	62. PT Set 2: *B1* --> T2 --> L3

The first thing to be immediately rejected was the lockpick option. The fact that it was one of the options in the first place set off alarm bells in her head like no tomorrow, and it was sitting there so innocently too. It must be the voice’s attempt to screw with her, like: “Hey, pick this super obvious choice so that you’ll fail and I can laugh at you afterwards!”. Well, she wasn’t about to give it that satisfaction.

The teleporter _sounded_ cool, but only in theory. It wasn’t anything she’d heard of, and definitely nothing that she’d used before, so she would rather keep her hands away from any piece of unfamiliar technology. And that left...

_‘I’m bashing this down.’_

Ellie hefted the baton the moment time resumed, tapping it against the door handle. If this thing was able to take out a guy with the physique of a tree trunk, then surely a flimsy piece of metal won’t pose a problem.

_‘One... two... Ha!_ ’ The baton was brought down with a loud _THWACK_.

Nothing.

_‘Again! One... two... three!’_ The baton was brought down again.

Zilch.

_‘One, two, three!’_ The baton was brought down yet again.

Nada. Goddamnit.

Ellie swung down the baton time and again, like her life depended on it. Each strike made her bones rattle painfully, and her arms were aching like there was no tomorrow, but with how much she was hitting the stupid thing, it had to be broken by now, right? Finally throwing the baton aside, she grabbed it and tugged hard.

It was still sturdy. It wasn’t even chipped.

Hugging and puffing, Ellie leaned against the baton like it was a cane as she swiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “I... I don’t think this is going to work.”

**[Fail: Doesn’t this defeat the purpose of sneaking in?]**

* * *

_‘Yeah, well, you presented it as an option. What else was I supposed to think?’_ Ellie thought sourly as time grounded to a halt.

[Golly gee, it’s almost like it’s a _choice_ you can make. Imagine that!]

Ellie couldn’t physically glare, so she did her best to mentally project it outwards. _‘Alright, alright, enough with the sass. So does this mean I have to pick again?’_

[Yep yep! Sending you back now!]

Oh great. Ellie barely had time to brace herself before the sensation of rewinding time hit again. Thankfully, it wasn’t as long as the last time it happened, but she was still left feeling nauseous by the time her feet hit the ground. _‘Ugh...’_

Ellie only bothered looking at the remaining options once the urge to purge had passed her. One was blacked out, allowing the remaining two to glow ever more enticingly.

**a)[Teleporter](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/65170030)**

**b)[Lockpick](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/65723149)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact #5: I've written fanfiction since I was nine, but have never really taken it seriously until I was thirteen. I like to think that I have improved a lot since then :)


	63. PT Set 2: B1 --> *T2* --> L3

Maybe trying to deal with the door wasn’t the right way to go about it after all. If she could get through _without_ having to knock down the door at all, then who could say how many more amazing feats she could pull off? Plus, she still believed lockpicking was the voice putting out bait for her. _‘Can I have the teleporter, please?’_

[Alright, here you go!] Ellie could’ve sworn she heard a snigger in the voice’s... voice, but the heavy weight settling in her pocket from nowhere distracted her. She hastily stuck her hand in, fingers wrapping around a metal box of sorts before withdrawing it.

For its function, it had a _very_ simple design. Four flat buttons composed most of its surface, surrounding a red button that was just begging to be pushed. Allowing her impulses to take control for a moment, she pushed the middle button. The resultant beep-beep-beep made her flinch back. _‘What’s this?’_

[... It makes ice-cream,] the voice said in a deadpanned manner. [It teleports you, dolt. What else did you think it was?]

_‘I mean, I know that_ _,_ ’ Ellie thought, one hand waving off its words out of habit. _‘It’s just, does this thing come with any instructions? ‘Cause I’m not seeing any on here.’_ To prove her point, she turned the remote over in her hands, showing its unmarked back.

There was a pause, then the voice burst into the most enthusiastic fit of giggles she’d ever heard. [Pfft, nope! But don’t worry, you’re the only one with a brain around here, I’m sure you can think of something! Speaking of which, I’m leaving it to you now!]

Her eyes widened. _‘Wait, hold on—‘_

Too late. Silence fell once again, leaving Ellie to mull over the teleporter and the unhelpfully vague advice. She didn’t know how to feel about the compliment, but it _did_ give her an idea about this thing.

Logically speaking, a teleporter would teleport people to different locations, it was in the name. So these buttons had to have something to do with the coordinates. Four buttons... Her first assumption was that they represented north, south, east and west. But which one was supposed to be which?

... Ellie sighed. Maybe she should just risk a shot in the dark and try. What was the worst that could happen? All that could happen would be her being teleported a little farther than she wanted, or a little too high, or stuck halfway through a wall with no way out...

Her fingers tightened around the remote like a viper.

_‘It’s okay, Ellie, you can do this. It’s not like you’ll die from this. Maybe.’_ With renewed determination, she punched in the buttons in an order relative to a rough estimation of the emporium she had in mind. Thank god she had spent all that time memorising those stolen floor plans. While it was unlikely she’d manage to teleport straight into the room holding her prize, she could at the very least get inside without having to deal with the door.

... Right?

_‘Please, gods above, let this work,’_ she silently prayed, pressing the red button.

[Soooorry, can’t promise that!]

The voice’s chortle made her jolt in surprise, but it was too late to speak up. In the split second before the sensations of teleportation hit her, her mind wandered back tot the cartoons she used to watch through a neighbour’s window. The ability was always depicted as a cool, painless gimmick heroes used to save the day. So was it because of her trend of petty thievery that she was hurting so much now?

No, “hurting” was too kind. “Excruciating” was more like it. She could feel her body being systematically disassembled down to the molecule, her conscious stuck in a weightless limbo as she was dragged to her destination. This was ten times worse than the voice’s time rewinds, she hated it hated it hate hate hate—

Then, she found herself back in solid form in a flash, drawing a ragged breath into her _solid_ lungs. Logically, it took only a minute of her night, but it felt far, far longer. At least she was in one piece again. Trembling, hugging herself, close to puking on the gravel ground, but in one piece.

Wait. _Gravel_ ground?

Her eyes fully opened. The first thing she noticed was that she was still outside. But not at her original spot at the exit door, oh no. That would be a vacation compared to this. No, she was on the opposite side of the Diamond Emporium, illuminated helpfully by the many streetlights lining the parking lot. Their glow was casted upon everything she could see, including the greenery, the cars parked nearby, the blonde security guard staring at her slack-jawed oh no. “What the f...”

Ellie smiled sheepishly, one foot put back in preparation to make a break for it. “Hey, officer.”

**[Fail: Don’t feel too bad. The last guy teleported himself into a wall the first time he used it.]**

* * *

Time screeched to a halt, freezing the officer’s rapidly darkening gaze in a lovely expression. Not. _‘That’s great to know. But I still failed.’_

[Aw, you’ll get it next time! Ready to go back now?] the voice asked with traces of mirth still floating in there.

_‘Whatever, I don’t care. I just never want to use that damn thing ever again,’_ Ellie hissed, her mind quivering from the memory. _‘Just get me back so that I can... can... Wait a minute.’_

[Hm?]

_‘Don’t. Tell me. That was the right option all along?’_

[I dunnoooo.] Oh, the voice wasn’t even trying to hide its glee now. [But who cares? Not me! Going back now!]

Her entire body locked up as if she could somehow will the voice to stop what it was doing. _‘No no no, don’t—!’_

Then the world began playing backwards.

* * *

Her feet touched the floor again soon enough, but her knees shook so much that they buckled, sending her forehead bashing against the door. Ellie barely even noticed. [Eh? What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,] it sniggered. Something in her snapped.

_‘LOCKPICKING WAS THE RIGHT ONE ALL THIS TIME?!’_

Silence. Then the voice burst into a fit of hysterical giggling. [Ha ha! I’m surprised you didn’t notice it earlier! But it was so worth it to see you flub again and again.]

_‘Then why did you even make me choose?!’_ she demanded, teeth grinding against itself. The voice laughed again, but didn’t say anything else; both of them knew the answer to that question. Ellie let out an aggravated sigh, running a hand down her face. _‘Just... Just let me lockpick the stupid thing.’_

[Ooooh, so touchy. You need to learn some better manners!] the voice mocked as time resumed.

**a)[Lockpick](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/65254606)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact #6: This isn't set in stone as of yet, but this series is planned to have at least 6 "books" including this one, if not more. Canon characters will be making a comeback!


	64. PT Set 2: B1 --> T2 --> *L3*

“And _YOU_ need to learn to stop wasting my time,” Ellie snapped back, already dropping to her knees as she took her trusty bobby pin out of her pocket. She propped the baton against the wall.

Both parties fell silent after that, the sounds of metal scraping against metal filling the air in their place. Tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth, each movement from her shook with anticipation, as any time Ellie expected a “What do you think you’re doing?” or a baton to the back of her head. But nothing of the sort happened even as a tiny click sounded from the lock. She casted one more furtive look around herself, but there were no guards in sight, only the dirt-caked boots sticking out rather conspicuously from nearby bushes. _‘Good, good. Everything’s still going according to plan. There’s nothing to be afraid of, Ellie.’_

**Before her nerves could fully get the better of her, Ellie yanked down the door handle and pushed her way through, gingerly closing the door behind her.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact #7: Did you know that authors are always happy to see a comment, even if it's just a simple "I love this!"? Please, show those authors in this fandom and out that appreciation whenever you read their work, it'll make their day :)
> 
> PS: This is not a ploy to get comments for my own fic. But it IS a ploy to get comments for other fics ;)


	65. PT Set 2: *T1* --> B2 --> L3

... No, you know what? Maybe she didn’t have to deal with the door at all.

_‘Give me the teleporter,’_ Ellie thought. She could’ve sworn she heard a snigger, but it was quickly forgotten in favour of the heavy weight that magically materialised in her pocket. Sticking her hand inside, her fingers wrapped around something rectangular in shape and pulled it out, turning it over.

Considering its function, the remote-looking device didn’t look at all complicated. Four square buttons occupied each corner of the remote, with a raised red one in the middle of it. It was practically calling out. Her fingers twitched with the urge to press buttons at random, but when the thought crossed her mind, a new predicament presented itself. She had exactly zero idea of how this thing worked. _‘Uh, where are the instructions to this thing?’_

[Soooorry, I must’ve dropped them somewhere. But don’t worry!] the voice chirped in response to her look of disbelief. [I’m sure you’ll use that noggin of yours to think of a solution. Well then, I’ll leave you to it!]

_‘What? You can’t just leave me like this!’_ Ellie thought, but it was too late. The voice had already left the vicinity... Or it was just hanging around and waiting for her to flub. She wasn’t sure which was preferable.

Sighing, Ellie shook her head and turned her attention back to the teleporter. She didn’t have time to waste. The voice was right, as obnoxious as it was trying to prove its point; only she could possibly figure this out. Any piece of technology was solvable, if given enough time. Same went for this teleporter. Now, how was she supposed to use this?

Four buttons. That had to mean north, south, east and west. At least, that was the first thing that came to her mind. But with the lack of labels, it was pretty much impossible to discern which was which. Ellie groaned internally. _‘Craaap, what am I supposed to do now?’_

But at the same time, she couldn’t stand here and fret endlessly. If a shot into the dark was needed to get her in there, then Ellie Rose was going to take that shot! So what if this could go horribly wrong and she could get stuck in a wall? Or a hundred feet in the air? Or—

The sudden escalation in worst-case scenarios made Ellie flinch, and she quickly punched in numbers at random before her thoughts could grow any darker. Each press made such an obnoxiously loud beep that she flinched and looked over her shoulder every time. _How_ was nobody hearing this, she wondered the moment she pressed the square buttons one last time. Either these guys didn’t have any ears, or they weren’t paid enough to care. At least it benefitted her either way, but still.

She let out a slow breath. _‘Please, god, let this work.’_ With that final prayer uttered to the heavens, she punched in the red button.

In the split second before the effects of teleportation took place, her mind wandered back to the cartoons she watched through a neighbour’s window. As far as she could remember, teleportation had always been as a useful, _painless_ process that the heroes used to win the day. As unrealistic as it may have sounded, it was one of her wishes to somehow try it out herself one day; a wish that she had held onto until even now.

Ellie was starting to regret that wish.

It hurt. It hurt so bad. It hurt so bad that the word “hurt” didn’t even begin to cover what she was feeling. Every body part, nerve and sinus was being deconstructed down to their very molecular level, pulled apart as she was pulled through space itself. Her hearing was rendered null, her vision was blinded by a constant bright light, and her voice couldn’t leave her even if it wanted to. Waiting for this horrible experience to end was all she could do...

Then her feet finally found ground, and a strangled gasp clawed its way out of her throat. It was over. It was over, but Ellie couldn’t bring herself to believe it just yet. She patted her body, searched through her bag, and miraculously, everything was in place.

Well, _almost_ everything. It took Ellie several seconds to notice that she wasn’t in the emporium at all. The mild night breeze and gravel ground probably should’ve been her first clue, but it was the blinding streetlights that ultimately tipped her off. _‘Did it not work?’_ she thought to herself, scratching her head as she stared down at the now warm teleporter. _‘No, it did work, I’m just not where I’m supposed to be. Ugh, I knew this was a bad idea. I better start this up again before someone comes—‘_

“What the— Where did you come from?!”

Startled brown eyes snapped upwards. Standing there slack-jawed was a security guard taller and leaner than the dozing one was, with one hand drifting towards the walkie-talkie hanging from its holster. “Oh. Uh, shit, this isn’t what it looks like,” Ellie blurted out as she stumbled back a few steps. She tried to hold up her hands to show off the lack of harmful intent, but then realised that the teleporter was in plain view and just stuffed her hands back in her pockets.

The guard stared.

Her frown turned into a sheepish grin. “So, how’s your evening been, officer?”

**[Fail: Don’t feel too bad. The last guy teleported himself into a wall the first time he used it.]**

* * *

Time came to a screeching halt. Everything was frozen in its tracks; the trees, her body, and the guard’s darkening expression. Lovely. _‘That’s great to know. But I still failed,’_ she grunted.

[No need to get all _snippy_ about it, he he. Ready to go back now?]

Ellie raised a mental eyebrow. The way it made it sound, she could’ve sworn it sounded like a quote from someone important, but was it really necessary right now? _‘_ _Yeah, yeah, I want to go back now. Just give me the damn instructions next time,’_ she hissed.

[Mmmmmmmmmm no promises anyways back you go!]

_‘Wai—‘_

Then the world played backwards.

* * *

Her feet had barely touched the ground before her knees started buckling, sending her forehead colliding with the exit door. The resulting sting was nothing compared to the agony of the teleporter, though.

[Chin up, you big baby! You’re fine, aren’t you?] the voice chided, sounding very much like Ellie’s mother from the little she could recall seeing her.

“ _Physically_ , yes! But I can’t say anything about my mental state!” she wheezed under her breath. Somehow though, the voice’s flippant words laid a sense of calmness over her heart. Enough so that she no longer felt like puking her guts out, at least. “I... I have two more options, right?” she mumbled more levelly now.

[Yep yep!]

One breath in, one breath out, and her hands were steadied in time for the remaining two images to filter into view.

**a)[Bash](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/65572801)**

**b)[Lockpick](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/65879713)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact #8: First fandom I have gotten into was the Transformers one. Specifically, after the Bay movies, from which I had fallen in love with the franchise. Then I discovered the other animated shows, and I just had a much better reason to love the fandom.


	66. PT Set 2: T1 --> *B2* --> L3

_‘I’ll have to bash. There’s no way it’s lockpick,’_ Ellie thought, hefting up the stolen baton. In an act of allowance, time resumed all around her, bringing back the rhythmic chirping of crickets and the rustling of trees. _‘It can’t be any worse than the teleporter, right?’_

All she received for an answer was a noncommittal murmur from the voice. Something about that made her heart race a little, and she had to remind herself again that it couldn’t be any worse than the teleporter. Nothing could be worse than the teleporter. Feeling a little better about her decision, Ellie lined it up against the door handle. _‘One... two... three!’_ At the last count, the baton came swinging down with a deafening _WHAM_.

The door handle remained wholly intact.

A steadying breath was sucked in through her teeth. _‘That wasn't enough, huh? I’ll just try again, then! One... two... three!’_ The baton swung down again.

Not a mark could be seen on the door handle.

_‘One, two, three!’_ The baton swung down again at twice the speed.

The door handle... was still completely fine. Dammit, what was this thing made of? Diamond? Ellie brought it down again and again, mindless of the tremors running up and down her arms and her increasingly ragged breath, hoping to gods and the voice that nobody was hearing this—

[Oi! I’m a god too, you know!]

_‘I doubt that very much.’_ She finally ceased her assault and stepped back from the door handle, chest heaving deeply as she rested her elbow on the tip of the baton. After taking a quick pause to catch her breath, Ellie leaned forward, squinting to access the damage dealt to the door handle.

There was none.

Her shoulders slumped as she muttered in defeat, “Yeah, I don’t think this is going to work.”

**[Fail: Doesn’t this defeat the purpose of sneaking in?]**

* * *

_‘Hey, anything would’ve looked good to you if you had to go through with using that damn teleporter!’_ Ellie protested as the sensation of slowing time hit her again. Failing for the third time that night did not sit right with her at all, and it could be plainly heard in the thoughts that she was hurling at the voice. _‘And the other option was... You wouldn’t have made me go through all that trouble when I was already planning to pick the stupid lock! Right?’_

[... Teehee. Do you really think that?]

Her thoughts stuttered several times in sheer disbelief. _‘You wouldn’t.’_

[I did!]

_‘No.’_

[Yes.]

_‘No.’_

[Yes!]

_‘No no no, you_ didn’t _! What the_ hell _, you piece of—!’_

[Alright, I’m bored now,] the voice cut in, mirth still evident in its tone. [I’m sending you back before you get on my nerves, and it's too early for that!]

The rage that threatened to bubble into a full-length rant was unceremoniously squashed with the rush of rewinding time, every sound around her playing backwards in creepily whining fashion until she found herself back in front of the back door.

**a)[Lockpick](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/65657422)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact #9: The first time I've heard of THSC games was through Markiplier's and Jack's videos. There wasn't much of a fandom back then, which makes the fandom today all the more enjoyable to be in :)


	67. PT Set 2: T1 --> B2 --> *L3*

“Unbelievable,” Ellie grumbled, carelessly tossing the baton against the wall as she knelt before the door handle. “I should’ve known. It keeps thinking this is all a game. Just keeps making jokes like my livelihood isn’t on the line here...”

The voice didn’t say anything to refute, except for a minor titter that slipped through the night breeze with the presence of a dandelion. Or maybe she was losing it and imagined that. Who knew?

The moment the bobby pin was withdrawn from her pocket, Ellie felt herself fall into a more composed mindset, and the tremors disappeared mostly from her hands. The tinny sound of metal scraping metal was all that occupied the night air for the next few minutes, with rivulets of sweat dripping down her forehead from how much she was focusing on the lock. She didn’t even bother looking out for the guards anymore; if that blond-haired asshole decided to so much as peek around the corner of the building to her left, she’d take this bobby pin and shove it in his—

_Click_.

Oh. That was... fast. Frowning, Ellie tested the door again, and half-flinched when it swung open easily. No one was around, too. Normally, this sort of luck would raise her eyebrows to the heaven, but frankly, after all the crap she went through before falling back onto her original plan anyways, she could not care less. _‘Hope you’re happy, freaking asshat.’_

[Oh, I’m _very_ happy! It’s been an entertaining hour for sure,] it cackled.

**Muttering mutinously under her breath, Ellie picked up her baton and slipped through the doorway, closing the door before anyone could come along and discover it unlocked.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact #10: I'll be starting up a daily Tumblr update system soon! It's not up yet as I have to count the number of confirmed scenes in this ending. but rest assured that it'll come soon. Let me know what you guys think about this :)


	68. PT Set 2: B1 --> *L2*

... Ah, screw it. Lockpick it was.

Ellie knelt down beside the door handle, peering closely at it. The lock itself didn’t look at all complicated; in fact, she bet that the simple bobby pin she brought along could do the job. Hopefully, it wouldn’t break on her...

[You’re not gonna go for the other one?] Ellie nearly dropped the baton as the voice entered her mind. It sounded genuinely offended, like it wasn’t doing its best to put her through as much bullshit as it possibly could.

_‘Of course not. The first thing already failed, and I’m not taking a chance with the other one,’_ Ellie thought. The voice’s carefree statement of [It’s funny!] rang in her mind, and it seemed to apply here as well, if its spluttering was anything to go by. _‘I’ll just stick to my original plan, thanks. I_ should _have stuck to my original plan, but somehow you managed to talk me into being stupid.’_

That seemed to have restored the voice’s good humour somewhat. [That’s one of my specialties!] it snickered.

Ellie simply rolled her eyes in response. _‘Uh-huh. Now if you would excuse me, I’ll get back to stealing what I came here for,’_ she thought, turning back to the door.

The voice huffed. [Fine, but if you get caught, don’t come crying to me!] it said, before falling silent again.

The only indication she gave of hearing that was a scoff. _‘That thing’s just trying to psyche me out. All bark and no bite, crying wolf, all that jazz. This isn’t anything dangerous, I’ll just pick this lock and be on my way—‘_

A sudden snap cracked the tranquil atmosphere like an egg, causing Ellie to yelp and nearly jump out of her skin. Whipping her head around, she turned and turned and turned, but there was nothing unusual in sight.

... Was she imagining things?

“... Come on Ellie, don’t get distracted now,” she muttered to herself, doing her best to steel her nerves as she inserted the pin back into the lock.

The moment the bobby pin entered the lock, Ellie immediately got to work. The tinny sound of metal scraping metal was all that occupied the night air for the next few minutes, but oddly enough, even though nothing was happening, her heartbeat kept rising further and further.

She knew that barely five minutes had passed by this point, but her brain refused to believe that anything less than five hours had passed instead. Every rustle, every scrape against the ground made her tense up, and she didn’t let even a little bit of that tension leave or else she won’t be able to escape in time—

_Click!_

The sound, so reminiscent of a cocked gun, made Ellie leap up like she was suddenly electrocuted. It took her a full five seconds to realise that it was just the door unlocking. “Oh, uh... Hehe... I hope nobody heard that,” she mumbled on resignation, her shoulder slumping.

The voice giggled.

**A red blush spreading across her cheeks, Ellie yanked open the door and slipped inside before anyone could get the chance to come and investigate the noise, taking the baton along as she closed the door.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact #11: I recently got into the JoJo's Bizzare Adventure show, and my god, I can finally say I understand the JoJo references in THSC games. Will there be references in this series?
> 
> ... Maaaaybe.


	69. PT Set 2: T1 --> *L2*

Her hand flitted between the images of the baton and the bobby pin, her heart rate ticking up by the second. On one hand, literally anything would be better than the teleporter; baton, guards, death. She knew she had a fifty-fifty chance of getting this right, so by all accounts, she didn’t have anything to worry about.

So why was she holding herself back so much from picking the baton option?

It was just a baton. _‘That I had to beat up a guard for.’_ She could easily bash the door handle to pieces and get in without anyone noticing. It was that simple. _‘But what if there’s another catch the voice isn’t telling me about?_ ’ She could beat down any other wandering guard that stumbled upon her. _‘They have guns, though. Guns kil_ l.’ She only had to lean in a little closer, whisper a word, and she was free to use the baton...

“I can’t!” she blurted out as if waking from a nightmare, fingers half-curled around the baton image. Without a second of hesitation, she turned on her heel and pointed at the bobby pin. “I’m going back to _my_ plan!”

[Your plan?] The voice sounded miffed, even as it let time resume to allow Ellie to rummage around for her lockpick. [You’re being a baby! It’s not like you died, you know.]

_‘But I could’ve!’_

[Hah! It’s just a little molecular deconstruction and reconstruction, baby,] it scoffed ( _‘Hypocrite,’_ Ellie thought mutinously.). [But fine! Play with your stupid pin if you want to! See if you don’t get caught by security!]

_‘I know what I’m doing, thank you very much,_ ’ Ellie stated, taking out a bobby pin. The voice didn’t respond; it had apparently fallen into silence, leaving her in blessed peace as she inserted the pin into the lock...

Then hesitated. What was that statement about security? At the time, it sounded nothing more than a temper tantrum thrown by the voice, but worry started to bloom when it rang in mind again. Was it a bluff? Or was it hinting at an incoming failure?

A sudden snap made Ellie shoot up to her feet as if electrocuted, a shout nearly escaping her lips before she gained the foresight to clasp her hand over it. Her head whipped left and right, but the source of the sound was nowhere to be seen. _‘Was... Was it just my imagination?’_

God, that stupid kid... voice... _whatever_ was getting to her. She had to keep her cool, or the guards would _definitely_ find her. With several deep breaths in and out, her heart rate slowed down a little and the tremors in her hands lessened enough that she felt safe to pick the lock. Ellie knelt back down and began the process.

It was long, tedious and nerve-wracking, and experiencing all of that at the same time wasn’t doing any good for her already frayed nerves. The scraping of metal against metal at least gave her sanity something to hang onto. The next few minutes were the most paranoid she’d ever felt in her life; she wouldn’t be surprised if she had a heart attack right there and then.

Thankfully though, nothing of the sort happened. A tiny _click_ sounded from the lock, and this time, Ellie could easily push the handle down. She breathed a sigh of relief... then aimed a glare up at the sky. _‘So my plan would’ve worked all along!’_ she thought accusingly.

[Well, _yeah_. I never said it wouldn’t,] the voice said smugly. [You made that decision all by yourself! _You_ did, not me, not me!]

**Ellie was about to shoot off a jab at the voice’s childish gloating when a rustle could be heard somewhere to the left of her. There wasn’t anyone visible nearby, but her nerves were set alight all the same. Before any guard could get the chance to appear, she opened the door with a mighty shove and slipped inside, closing it behind her.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact #12: Tumblr update log system is finally up! You can take a look at it here: https://constellation-brotherhood.tumblr.com/post/631825659834105856/17-93-scenes-written
> 
> It's not super important, but I thought it might be nice for people who are wondering when the next one is coming out. I have a relatively steady update schedule now, but it might fluctuate on occasion, so just keep that in mind :V


	70. PT Set 2: *L1* (No Death)

_‘Yeah, I think I’ll just stick by my original plan,’_ Ellie thought, calmly pointing at the image of the bobby pin.

A second passed with nothing happening, and the pointing finger wavered a little. What was going on? She had already made her choice, but time wasn’t resuming; did something happen to the voice?

[I’m here.] The return of the voice destroyed the tiny seed of doubt her mind had implanted, and she smiled, but at the same time, its tone sounded... sulky? About what, she wasn’t sure. [Are you sure you wanna lockpick it?]

_‘Of course.’_ Ellie tilted her head. _‘Why? You were the one that wanted me to pick, right?’_

[Yeah, but...!] The voice trailed off into an indistinguishable mumble, then continued, [Why don’t you give one of the other two a spin, though?]

Her eyes narrowed. _‘I’ve got a few reasons, actually. One, it’s a stupid idea to break down a door in the dead of the night with guards out prowling about. Two, I don’t know how to use a teleporter, nor do I want to learn how to use one in the middle of a jewellery heist,’_ she explained, counting off each point finger by finger. _‘Long story short, I just don’t want to be stupid. I’m sure you can understand that much.’_

[... It’s an emporium,] was all the voice muttered.

_‘Same thing.’_

[Fiiiiine,] it sighed. If it was possible to hear an eye roll, Ellie suspected that this would be a prime example. [Go do your fancy tricks then, I don’t care! Let me know when you want me around again. Hmph.]

She rolled her eyes herself. She still had no idea what was the voice’s deal, but she couldn’t let her own concentration get bogged down by it. Kneeling down before the door handle, she slipped the pin into the lock and began sliding it back and forth. It wasn’t the most complicated thing she’d ever picked before, but it still required all of her attention to keep her hands steady as she kept an ear out for danger. And by danger, she meant the guards, of course.

The lock soon opened without much fanfare, and without anyone stumbling upon her as well. Ellie couldn’t help but glance around in suspicion— heists rarely went this smoothly in her experience, and especially with her luck. Something was about to go awry, she could feel it in her bones...

[Yeah, keep standing there and something will go awry,] the voice said under the breath that it didn’t have.

_‘Right, thanks for the heads-up.’_ Ellie was well aware it was supposed to be a sarcastic jab, but she couldn’t help sneaking in one of her own. [**The voice made a small huff (although that could’ve been just the wind), but didn’t voice any further attempts to stop her as she slipped through the doorway, shutting the door behind her.**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/66810685)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact #13: I almost always decorate my writing notebooks with stickers. They tend to be of flowers, sweets and kitties. It rules :3


	71. PT Set 2: B1 (End of No Death)

The rush she experienced from the stunt she pulled off was still buzzing in her hands. Flexing her fingers absentmindedly, she glanced between the three options, her eyes lingering on the baton in particular. As much as her initial plan made sense, the thought of using it again made the adrenaline pump even harder.

Ah, what the heck? _‘Hey, voice thing, I’m going for bashing!’_

[Voice thing...? Eh, I guess that’s close enough. Have at it, you hothead!] The world returned to its normal state, and Ellie didn’t hesitate to aim the baton at the door handle. [Make sure you don’t draw the guards to yourself, ehehehe!]

That made her confidence waver. _‘Crap, that’s right,’_ she thought, the tip of her baton dipping to the ground. _‘If I do this, security will definitely come running to investigate... A chase sounds a little fun, but I don’t think even this thing is a match up for a dozen guns. Hm...’_

Maybe she should just take a chance? That was what she had done earlier with knocking the guard out, so this could possibly work out, too... She nodded to herself, slowly at first, then more firmly. Yeah, she’d have to be quick about it, but it wasn’t _un_ doable.

She hefted the baton high above her head. _‘One... two... three!’_ At the count of “three”, it came down on the door handle with a dull _WHAM_.

It didn’t budge.

_‘Shoot. At least the guards didn’t seem to hear that,’_ Ellie assured herself, glancing around the still empty party lots. She lifted it above her head again, higher than before. _‘One... two... three!’_

The baton swung down again, but didn’t so much as chip the surface.

She felt like using the baton on herself now. ‘Oh my god. Okay, okay, okay, everything’s still going fine. All fine. All fine,’ she thought to herself, all the while trying her best to shove the growing anxiety down. The baton swung up again...

_WHAM_.

Nothing.

_WHAM_.

Still nothing.

_WHAM_.

Still nothing?! “What’s this thing made of, diamond?” she huffed, setting the baton down. Ellie never thought she’d live to see the day she said a door handle was putting up more of a fight than a human being... but here she was.

Ellie was only able to lift the baton once the tremors in her arms abated somewhat. This door had to go down. Whether her arms fell off or the moon dropped onto the face of the planet, she had to knock this door down, or this entire night would go to waste! She’d fight off the entire security force here if she had to!

_‘One, two, three! Again! Come on!’_ Each thought grew more and more frantic and the metal baton came down harder and harder. Arms shook, sweat dripped down her temples, and her chest heaved heavily, but she only stopped the moment a sharp cramp sank its fangs into her wrist. The grip on the baton slackened, then fully released as it clattered to the ground with a hollow thunk. Ellie herself sank to her knees with a hand clutching her chest, huffing and puffing.

“I... I don’t think this... is going to work,” she gasped. The stupid thing wasn’t even chipped. How? “Crap... M-maybe a r-rock would w-w-work? N-no, that won’t work any better than the baton. What else is—“

**[Fail: Doesn’t this defeat the purpose of sneaking in?]**

* * *

“What do you mean?”

The voice’s baffling statement made her head snap up. Mouth open, she was ready to repeat her question or tell the voice to shut up (she hadn’t decided), but her voice was instantly robbed. Not just that; hearing, feeling, smell, _everything_ was taken from her as the environment gently whirred to a halt. Ellie tried to twist around on instinct, but her body refused no matter how much she willed it to. Only her conscious seemed to be free of this... this time freeze. It wasn’t much comfort. _‘Hello? What’s going on?!’_

[You failed, silly!] The voice was giggling in such a carefree manner, like this was an everyday matter— wait.

_‘Did you do this?’_ she asked. She almost tried to gesture at the still trees before realising she couldn’t move.

[Duh.]

_‘But, earlier was—‘_

[Nothing but dumb luck,] the voice finished, its tone caustic. It made Ellie frown mentally. [But that doesn’t matter. Are you ready to go back or what?]

A spike of panic grabbed her, and she blurted out, _‘Wait wait wait, you haven’t explained anything to me yet!’_

There was a pause, then a sigh that whistled like a summer breeze in her mind. [What’s there to explain? I give you options, you choose, and you pass or fail! It’s not that complicated, peabrain.]

Ellie scowled, which quickly turned into a grimace. This weird limbo must be affecting her more than expected if its juvenile insult managed to get to her, even if for a second. _‘But why?’_

[Why what?]

_‘Why give me options at all?’_ she demanded. _‘If only one of them is going to be right, then just show me what to do! You’re wasting both of our times!’_

[Aw, but where’s the fun in that?]

Her racing thoughts stuttered to a stop. _‘... Fun? Excuse me? There’s nothing fun about this! This is my livelihood we’re talking about here, you know!’_ she thought incredulously.

[Pfft. What’re you so mad about? It’s not like any of this is permanent. Nothing is!] The laughter in its voice lowered into a cackle that made her skin crawl.

[Wanna see for yourself?]

_‘What? What?’_ Any rational thought flew out of her head as her imagination began running around like a headless chicken, endless scenarios running through her mind at Mach speed. Then _it_ happened.

Time rewound before her eyes. Everything played out backwards — trees rustling, wind whistling, all the works — and the experience was... something, alright. It wasn’t painful in the slightest, but it messed with her vertigo in ways she didn’t think was possible. Whatever this sensation was, “pleasant” wouldn’t be her go-to word to describe it.

Then as suddenly as it had happened, reality snapped back to normal. She was back at the exit door, baton in hand, and body feeling completely spry like nothing had happened. The only thing different to occur was the newfound wariness in her heart every time she so much as glanced at the baton. _‘I’m... I’m actually back?’_

[Yeah! It wasn’t easy with all the whining you did, but what’s done is done,] the voice said. Ellie flared up at the sky. [What? Don’t tell me you weren’t going to cry just now. Crybaby!]

Ellie held her glare for a little while longer, then reluctantly dropped it for a more important matter. _‘So what am I supposed to do now?’_ she asked, crossing her arms.

[What you always do when you make a mistake. Try again!]

Just like before, her vision darkened as two options lit up again, the third now blacked out.

**a)[Teleporter](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/65170030)**

**b)[Lockpick](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/65723149)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact #14: My Tumblr account is constellation-brotherhood, and Discord name is MidnightMorpher#6275. You know, in case if any of you would like to say hello :D


	72. PT Set 2: *L1* (Start of No Death)

_‘... Yeah, I think I’ll just stick to my original plan,’_ Ellie thought in a deadpanned manner.

[Oh? Why not one of the other two?] the voice asked teasingly ( _‘It’s not even trying to hide it,’_ she thought irritably). [Am I not good enough for you?]

_‘I don’t trust you,_ ’ she told it bluntly. The voice made a confused [Oh?], acting like it was honestly confused, and her eyebrows drew close together. _‘You’ve already made me do something stupid once, I’m not falling for it again!’_

From her pocket, she withdrew a thin bobby pin fashioned to pick locks. It was a tool that she had relied on for a good two years, for both major and minor thefts; a very trustworthy friend to have, unlike the voice huffing and puffing now. [How rude of you! I try to help and this is the thanks I get?]

_‘I’ll thank you all you want once I manage to get through this unscathed and richer.’_ With that said, she proceeded to ignore the voice as she knelt before the door handle, inserting the lockpick. Eventually, her mind began to slip into a more collected state as metal scraped metal, each resounding _click_ making her glance over her shoulder with mild apprehension. No one could hear this, right? It was dead quiet, sure, but it wasn’t exactly like she was banging pots and pans over here. If nobody came running at the sound of their friend (if she could call him that) being knocked out, then this would most likely slip past their attention like air through cracks.

It was still pretty hard not to worry, though.

It took several admittedly nerve-wracking minutes, but the lock was eventually undone with a soft click. Ellie tested the door again, and this time, it opened easily. A breath of relief slipped out of her mouth. “Thank god...”

[You’re welcome!]

_‘Shut up, you weren’t any help.’_ Shaking her head, she ignored the voice’s further blabbering as she took one final glance around her. _‘Hm... Good, no one’s around.’_

**With one firm nod, she slipped through the door and shut it behind her.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact #15: I recently got back into Tiny Tower, it's fun, and I think all of you reading should go get it too!
> 
> Wait, what do you mean this has nothing to do with Henry Stickmin?


	73. PT Set 2: *T1* (End of No Death)

_‘God, I still can’t believe that worked.’_

That singular thought ran through her mind again and again as she stared down at the available options. Could anyone blame her? She literally took out security with its own weapon; that was about as unbelievable as it got. And yet, against all odds, it _worked_.

She wondered if her streak of luck would continue.

[You’ll have to pick something if you wanna find out!] the voice piped up. Ellie waved it off, then pointed at the top right option. [The teleporter? One coming right up!]

And came the teleporter did, when a heavy weight settled in her pocket from nowhere. Reaching inside, Ellie grabbed what felt like a cool metal box and pulled it out. What she saw... didn’t quite meet her expectations.

For what it was supposed to do, the remote-looking device had a very simplistic design. It was comprised of green, square buttons on each corner of the remote, a single red button in the middle of it, and... nothing more. Her belief in the lucky streak began crumbling a little. _‘This is the teleporter? Really?’_

[Yep! New and upcoming technology from Gadget Gabe himself; you’re welcome!]

_‘Gadget... Gabe?’_ Repeating the name several times didn’t ring any more bells than the first time did. She raised an eyebrow. _‘Am I supposed to know who that is?’_

[Weeeell... Let me put it this way. If we keep up this partnership, you’ll be well-acquainted with him in no time flat,] the voice said.

Her frown deepened. Was that supposed to make her feel better? Because it did not. Not in the slightest. Turning the teleporter over in the hopes that it would tell her something, she instead realised something far more debilitating for her health. _‘... There’s no instructions for this thing.’_

[So?]

_‘Instructions. You know, the thing that’s supposed to give me knowledge about how this thing actually works?’_ Ellie had to resist the urge to facepalm. Was she really breaking down the definition of “instructions” to a disembodied voice in the middle of a heist? What had her life become? _‘_ Please _tell me you have them.’_

[Aaaaaw, but I just _can’t_! I have a very strict no-lying policy,] the voice sighed.

_‘What?! Then what the hell am I supposed to do now?’_ she yelped, gesturing wildly at the teleporter.

[You have a noggin of your own, right? Use it!] And with that completely unhelpful advice as its parting farewell, the voice fell silent, leaving Ellie alone with her thoughts. Her very, extremely confused thoughts.

Using her head and nothing else to figure out a device solely responsible for transporting her through space. Yeah, surely that couldn’t go wrong in any way, shape, or form.

Ellie pursed her lips. Even if the task seemed impossible, what other options did she have? Sit here until security discovered her and the body? The thought made her hand clench around the remote. She couldn’t afford to stop now. Not after that big show of knocking out that stocky security guard! Instructions or no instructions, she’d get through that door even if it meant dying for her goals!

Hopefully, it wouldn’t get to that, though.

_‘Let’s see...’_ She squinted down at the teleporter, tracing the buttons as she silently mouthed out each cardinal direction. North, south, east, west... The buttons’ arrangement ensured that it was highly difficult to tell which was which, but she wasn’t about to let that stop her!

_‘Just a few pushes here... and here...’_ Ellie was guessing one button press meant one foot forward. Ellie was hoping her guess was correct. She didn’t dare push her luck too far either; all she had to do was get inside. Not even necessarily in the room holding the jewellery itself! Just had to get through the door and _nothing else._

Simple enough.

One breath in, one breath out, and Ellie pressed the big red button without hesitation. The world shimmered, and then began to warp.

Ellie hadn’t been sure what to expect using the teleporter. Quick? Painless? That was certainly how the cartoons she watched before portrayed it; a superpower the heroes used all the time to win the day and whatnot. It wasn’t a goal she personally believed in, but she also couldn’t deny its usefulness.

Unfortunately, all the usefulness in the world couldn’t not make up for the sheer _agony_ hitting her with the grace of a barreling truck.

Every particle that made her being was being systematically pulled apart and pulled forward at maximum speed by the teleporter. No care for her own comfort was given, all she could do was tolerate it as much as her pain resistance would allow as nothing but white dominated her vision. She couldn’t even scream or move, and gods, _did she want to squirm._

_‘Am I going to die?’_

That fear grabbed her like a viper, but in a few seconds, it was rendered null. The light vanished from her vision, and Ellie suddenly found herself on solid ground again. Her heart, previously frozen so stiffly she had thought it stopped beating altogether, eventually began to return to its normal rate, and she exhaled deeply. She was... alive. She was actually alive! That was _good_ news.

Bad news? She wasn’t in the emporium.

For a moment, she thought it hadn’t worked at all and she was still by the exit door (her blood pressure spiked at the thought), but a simple cursory glance around her surroundings told her that it wasn’t the case (and brought her blood pressure down to normal). For one, it was _much_ brighter here than at the musty backside of the emporium, thanks to the numerous streetlights illuminating the parking lots. And two, there was a sign screaming “DIAMOND EMPORIUM” in fancy scribble. Not exactly the kind of thing one would find hanging out at a back entrance of the thing it was advertising.

_‘So I got teleported to the front entrance,’_ Ellie concluded as she glared at the remote in her hand. Well, at least she now knew that it _did_ work, no thanks to the voice. All was left now was to try again before someone spotted her—

“What the— Where’d you come from?!”

Uh oh.

Eyes snapping to the source of the exclamation, Ellie saw a security guard standing in front of her, slack-jawed. He could not be any more different from the one she had knocked out: he had bright blonde hair, a lean stature, and definitely-not-sleepy blue eyes that stared straight at her.

“Uh,” was all she could stupidly utter out loud.

“You...”

Then it hit her. _‘That’s right, I still have the teleporter!’_ she thought with relief, her gaze flicking down to the remote. If it managed to get her into this mess, then it could very well get her out of it! She quickly tried to re-enter the coordinates from before, but the panic-fuelled adrenaline made her fingers jitter too much to press even a single button. _‘C’mon c’mon c’mon!’_

“Oh no you don’t! I don’t know what that thing is but I’m not letting you do it!” The guard’s baton suddenly came flying out of nowhere and directly smashed into her wrist, causing her to yelp and drop the remote. It shattered like glass upon hitting the gravel ground. Ellie gripped her throbbing wrist as she stumbled back a few steps.

_‘Crap! Oi, what do I do now?!’_ she thought, heart rate spiking as the guard swiftly advanced upon her. Worse still was, she had stupidly forgotten her baton back at the exit door, her wrist fucking hurt, and the voice wasn’t answering despite her best attempts to break down its proverbial door. The baton was rising high in the air, and she panicked even more. _‘I have to run!’_

Then, as if the universe wanted to give her one last middle finger, it froze.

**[Fail: Don’t feel too bad. The last guy teleported himself into a wall the first time he used it.]**

* * *

_‘... Huh?’_ Ellie couldn’t bring herself to think any more than that. This was all so... “confusing” seemed like the only appropriate word to describe it.

The upside was, her wrist didn’t hurt anymore, and the downside was literally everything else. Of course, the first thing she noticed was the way everything was frozen: trees, herself, and the guard in the act of swinging his weapon down on her head. The weapon — as long as her arm and thicker than it — was mere millimetres away from her temple, a fact that made Ellie slightly more appreciative of the time freeze that just took place. Only slightly. _‘What the hell is this? Hello?’_

[Yes, yes, I’m here! Yeesh, you do realise that I can hear all of your thoughts, right?] The voice, having finally decided to grace her with its presence (the stupid thing) sounded highly amused despite its words. [They’re like a headless chicken, only talking!]

_‘I’m not a headless chicken!’_ Ellie squawked. _‘Wait, no, that’s not the point! Did you do all of... this?’_ She couldn’t gesture at her surroundings even if she wanted to, but her tone pointed to it regardless.

[Of course, buddy! You failed badly,] The voice cackled again, [and now you gotta do the whole thing again! It was so funny that I even decided to let it go on for a little while longer—]

The voice was babbling on and on about “great entertainment”, but Ellie wasn’t paying attention. She was mulling over one word and one word only— “failed”. Failed what, exactly? She wasn’t been aware she had been taking a damn test. _‘Explain.’_

[What’s there to explain? I give you options, you choose, you fail hilariously and make me laugh!] the voice explained jovially, barely giving her room to register its words. [Back to what I was saying—]

_‘But why give me options at all?’_ Ellie interjected again, causing the voice to grumble. She ignored it. _‘You’re just wasting my time!’_

[Oh, I dunno, why are you wasting your time asking stupid questions?] the voice shot back. [I know you’re not stupid, so you’ll learn as you go, simple as that. So let me get you back to where you were and stop interrupting me!]

Ellie had to reign herself in at that moment. Partially because she was struggling not to accept the backhanded praise it just gave her, and partially because deep down, she knew it was right. Somewhat. It didn’t look like the voice was going to let go of her any time soon, so what else was there but to do as it said? She could still see her chance at swiping the jewellery hanging right _there_.

However, that didn’t mean she had to act all happy about it like the voice was. _‘Okay, fine, I see your point. So can I... go back now, whatever that means? This is starting to get uncomfortable,’_ she thought. It wasn’t exactly a lie; the sensation of floating in an unmoving void was close to the bottom of the “Things She Wanted To Do” list she had in her head. Despite the fact that she couldn’t feel anything at all, it still felt cold. _‘Please. Hurry.’_

[Ooooooh, so _now_ you want my help?] it asked snobbishly.

_‘Hurry!’_

[Okay, okay! Try to hurry and get that stick out of your butt, too,] it added under its breath. Ellie was about to shoot back a retort, but time began to rewind before she could.

It was a curious feeling. She wasn’t trapped in a nothingness of agony like before, but it wasn’t exactly something she’d want to feel again if she had the choice. Every bit of sound played backwards all around her, slowly instilling a sense of nausea that made her insides creep up her throat and threaten to spill out, her hands aching badly to cover her ears and block it out, but she _couldn’t_. Ellie couldn’t even squint her eyes shut to block out the blinding glow around her. All she could do was mentally grit her teeth and hope that it would be over soon...

Then her wish was granted when the light suddenly receded, and sound began playing normally again. She was back on her feet and standing next to the exit door, her hand clenching a teleporter that wasn’t there anymore. Staring down at her empty hand in dumbfounded silence, it hit her in a matter of seconds. _‘Did I return to... Did I go back in time?’_

[ _I_ sent you back, but yes,] the voice said smugly as Ellie began to examine her belongings, [you’re back at where you started, ready to pick the next option. _Or_ , if you’re feeling a little spicy, you could always pick the teleporter again—]

_‘No, no, a thousand times no!’_

The voice giggled. [Have it your way, then!]

The remaining two options filtered into view, with the teleporter blacked out and unable to be picked (it would not be missed). [Hurry up and pick one!] it urged.

**a)[Bash](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/65572801)**

**b)[Lockpick](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116771/chapters/65879713)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact #15: If I can recall correctly, the very, *very* first fanfiction I wrote was a Pokemon/Animorphs crossover. I still have the paper drafts of them, they make for a rather entertaining guilty pleasure to read.
> 
> Also, please read Animorphs if you can. For a kid's series, it can get dark reeeaaal fast. That, and it's genuinely amazing.


	74. PT Set 2 Interlude [No Death]

_‘Jeez, it’s really dark,’_ was the first thought to cross her mind as she crouched to the ground, her body as close to the wall as possible. Not that she minded much, it made her feel safer than anywhere outside, even if doing this was putting her directly into the vicinity of any patrolling guards. Speaking of guards...

Ellie surveyed the room she was in. The lighting in her was pretty bad, but at least she could tell there weren’t any guards in here, only vague shapes here and there. Plastic chairs surround a single, rickety-looking table in one corner, while another corner held a coffee machine that had clearly seen weeks of use, if not months. She absentmindedly wondered if they could even afford to replace it at all. All in all, it was a standard break room.

But other than that, there was nothing of interest to her. Her goal laid beyond the closed door on the opposite side of the one she had just gotten through, so she had better hurry it up before someone decided to stroll into the break room...

Ellie was about to stand and cross over to the other door when a red flash seen from out of the corner of her eye made her freeze. Without thinking, she slammed herself back against the wall as she whipped her head around, trying to identify the source of the red flash. _‘It’s not a guard, right...?!’_

It soon became apparent that it wasn’t a guard, but something just as bad, as she realised soon enough. There was a camera hidden snugly in the corner of the room, its pinprick of a red light blinking like a signal of death. It didn’t take a genius to know that there was someone on the other side watching, but it also didn’t make her feel ruffled or anything of the sort. She had already avoided two misfortunes; what was avoiding another one going to be?

Then there was a sound akin to a rustle in her head. [So are you admitting that you need my help?]

_‘What? No.’_

[I think you’re asking for my help.]

_‘No, stop.’_

[Well, don’t worry! Thank your lucky stars that I’m such a kind, benevolent god,] the voice emphasised, glee positively dripping from its... voice. [What would you do if I hadn’t been around to help you, huh?]

_‘I don’t need you help, I have—!’_ she had started to hiss, but a quick rummage around her pocket was quick to dash that hope. A bobby pin, screwdriver and baton. None of them could help with disabling the camera. Not discreetly, anyway.

She could _feel_ the smugness radiating in her mind. [Weeeeell?]

Ellie let out an aggravated sigh. _‘_ Fine _. But this had better be good!’_

Her world couldn’t have darkened any faster as three options were highlighted in her vision again. Two were on the wooden table, while the third highlighted object was... herself. [Go on, hurry before the guards come!]

_‘Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.’_

**a) Taser**

**b) Run for it**

**c) Whipped cream**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact #16: I've recently gotten into reading bad books like Empress Theresa and Handbook for Mortals. Both are hilariously bad for different reasons. If you're curious about either one of them, I suggest downloading them if possible, or finding them for REALLY cheap prices. Trust me, they're not worth the usual book prices.


End file.
